Marjane Satrapi, French‑Iranian Graphic Novelist and Filmmaker, Dies at 56

Marjane Satrapi, the French‑Iranian author of the bestselling graphic novel Persepolis and co‑director of its acclaimed animated film, died at age 56. Family statements said she passed away a little over a year after the death of her husband, Swedish producer Mattias Ripa, whom she described as “the love of my life.”

Satrapi, who was born in Rasht, Iran, in 1969 and grew up in Tehran during the 1979 revolution, later moved to Europe and became a French citizen in 2006. Her memoir Persepolis was serialized from 2000, translated into more than 25 languages, sold over a million copies worldwide and earned a Cannes Jury Prize and an Oscar nomination for its animated adaptation. She also directed films such as Chicken with Plums, The Voices, and Radioactive, and her last project, Dear Paris (Paradis Paris), premiered in 2024.

Satrapi’s work is credited with bringing a personal, child‑s perspective on post‑revolutionary Iran to global audiences, challenging stereotypes and highlighting the complexities of Iranian life. French President Emmanuel Macron and cultural figures paid tribute to her as a “great artist who transformed an Iranian childhood into a universal fable.”