Marjane Satrapi, the cartoonist responsible for the acclaimed Persepolis graphic novels, has died at age 56.
A statement “from close friends and family” was provided to France’s AFP newswire, which notes, “Marjane Satrapi died of sadness a little over a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life.”
Satrapi was a French-Iranian cartoonist and filmmaker who catapulted to international stardom with the release of the Persepolis graphic novels in the early ’00s. Persepolis is based on Satrapi’s troubled youth and early adulthood during and after the Iranian Revolution. Alongside Art Spiegelman’s Maus, Persepolis is widely regarded as one of the finest biographical comics ever published.
Persepolis was originally published in France in four volumes between 2000 and 2003, and was later translated into English (with the help of Ripa) and released in two volumes in the US.
Satrapi and her work rose to further prominence in 2007 with the release of the animated feature film adaptation. Satrapi co-wrote and co-directed the Perspolis film, which went on to be nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 80th Academy Awards. Satrapi was the first woman to be nominated for that award.
Satrapi’s comics career also included 2004’s Chicken With Plums, based on the waning days of one of Satrapi’s relatives. That book also inspired a live-action film adaptation, with Satrapi reuniting with Persepolis co-writer and co-director Vincent Paronnaud.
Satrapi remained active as a filmmaker in the years that followed. Her filmography included 2012’s Gang of the Jotas, 2014’s The Voices, and 2019’s Marie Curie biopic Radioactive.
Satrapi was also an outspoken feminist and political activist throughout her career. In 2025, she refused the Légion d’honneur award from the French government, criticizing France’s hypocritical stance toward Iran and the lack of support provided to Iranian refugees.
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