Marjane Satrapi, the Franco-Iranian author and filmmaker best known for Persepolis, has died in Paris aged 56. Her family said she died “of sadness” just over a year after the death of her husband, Mattias Ripa.
Satrapi was one of the most influential voices in contemporary graphic novels. Persepolis told the story of her childhood in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution, her adolescence in Vienna, and her adult life in Paris, where she lived for many years. The book became a major cultural reference point for readers in France, Spain and beyond.
She went on to publish other works, including Embroideries, which challenged Western stereotypes about Iranian women through a group of female characters discussing sex, cosmetic surgery and divorce. Satrapi also brought Persepolis to the screen, winning the Grand Jury Prize ex aequo at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and later becoming the first female creator to receive an Oscar nomination for an animated film.
Satrapi had a strong connection with Catalonia and Spain. In 2020, she was the opening speaker for Sant Jordi, Catalonia’s book and rose festival. In 2024, she received the Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities. The jury described her as “a symbol of civic commitment led by women” and one of the most influential figures in dialogue between cultures and generations.
Her grandmother was a key influence in her work. Satrapi often spoke about her as an independent and modern woman who divorced at a time when that was uncommon in Iran. In Persepolis, Satrapi quoted her grandmother’s advice about keeping dignity, integrity and faithfulness to oneself.
She also spoke openly about periods of deep sadness in her life, including depression in her youth after returning to Iran from Vienna. Her family’s statement, and her own recent post saying, “For I lost the love of my life”, have prompted tributes to a writer who turned personal experience into stories with wide public reach.