Persepolis, Vol. 1

9/10
It's so easy to get lost in the Iranian media making up stories about the West and vice versa. In Iran's view, everything was going great till the West intervened because of the potential of oil and ruined the region forever. In the West's view, Iran was a repressive region that knew only one thing - to brutalise its citizens, and it had to intervene. But what is the truth, really?
Marjane Satrapi, the great-granddaughter of Iran's last emperor, brings a lot of light to the issue through her memoir. Still, at the same time, you have to be a simpleton to misconstrue the autobiography as a study on the history of Iran. Partially it is that, yes, but it is so much more.
Marjane bares it all - her vulnerabilities; her acts of stupidity; her views on religion, Iran and feminism; but most of all - her bravery. Islam and liberalism are neither glorified nor portrayed as the be-all-end-all of everything - there's a nuanced portrayal visible. No act of courage is great or small - whether it's making trousers partially visible outside the veil or whether it's protesting for human rights along with your family.
There's so much to take away from this masterpiece - whether it's the multifaceted interpretation of human ‘rights' or how intersectional feminism plays out in real life. It's incredible just how many topics Marjane touches upon, but the topic that touched me the most would be Marjane's relationship with her parents. Her parents don't ask her if anything is wrong if she looks troubled, and they respect her privacy. They let her make her own choices, regardless of the possible outcome, as seen when Marjane's father admitted that he knew she would get separated from Reza. Marjane wholeheartedly admits that her own family is not perfect but still loves them all the same - I think that should be the real takeaway from the novel. Must-read.

This was my first graphic novel. What a fun way to read stories! The graphic style was simple, and so was the narration. I had not known much about Iran, the only things I knew were from bits of news, some from history textbooks, not much. This book opened my eyes - the world is not how we perceive, not modern Western civilization fighting against the Middle East. The author paints a grim picture but also reminds us that they were humans too. They rebelled. The author, then a child, rebelled in ways that were meaningful to her. There were no clear answers on who to believe, what to trust - I cannot imagine my childhood being spent going to funerals and hiding in the basement and hoping I don’t die. The author paints a simple picture of a grim reality. The dialogues are funny and light, keeping the whole novel appealing (even considering the dark topics).

En una entrevista a Satrapi, la autora comentó que lo que la motivó a escribir Persepolis fue mostrar otra cara de Irán, alejada de los preconceptos y los estereotipos impuestos por los medios de comunicación. Sin embargo, dudo que la obra logre ese efecto.

Si bien contiene es una mirada ‘desde adentro', lo narrado no escapa a la imagen mas difundida de Irán: el fundamentalismo, la opresión de la mujer, las restricciones a las libertades y la represión que trajo consigo la revolución de 1979. La particular posición de su núcleo familiar y sus amistades cercanas -que vendrían a configurar el elemento ‘distintivo'- son planteadas como una excepción minoritaria.

En todo caso, Perspolis parece más una confirmación de la mirada occidental de Irán que un desafío a ella. Esto me decepcionó un poco.

En lo que hace a la obra en sí, la narrativa es excelente y también lo es la estética, pero esperaba algo mas revelador.