Marjane Satrapi, creator of Persepolis and acclaimed French-Iranian artist, dies aged 56
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Marjane Satrapi died at age 56, with relatives saying she “died of sadness” after her husband’s death.
- Mattias Ripa, Satrapi’s Swedish producer husband, died on 8 April last year.
- Emmanuel Macron called Satrapi “a great artist who turned her Iranian childhood into a universal tale,” praising her childlike perspective, irony, tenderness, and inner demons.
- Yaël Braun‑Pivet said Satrapi “turned her work into an act of freedom,” giving a face and voice to the Iranian revolution and championing women’s freedom and dignity.
- Persepolis, Satrapi’s 2000 comic‑book memoir, became an international phenomenon, selling millions of copies and reshaping Western perceptions of Iran.
Why it matters: France loses a celebrated artist whose work amplified Iranian voices, while publishers and filmmakers lose a creator whose Persepolis generated millions of sales and inspired adaptations.
