A spot of gossip with Marjane Satrapi

Marjane Satrapi became an international sensation when she published her memories of childhood and adolescence as a comic book, which has now been translated into over forty languages. “Persepolis” tells the story of a super-bright girl growing up in Iran in the 1970s as the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq war impact on the life of her family and turn her world upside down. Her story continues in Vienna, where her parents will send her to—they hope—live a free life. Satrapi’s relates her unusual coming of age with honesty and a disarming humour. Her talent was such that the graphic novel earned glowing reviews and comparisons to Art Spiegelman’s Maus, perhaps the greatest comic of the 20th century. A few years later, Satrapi’s own film adaptation of “Persepolis” would win her the Fipresci Prize at the Cannes Film Festival as well as two Césars and an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.

Marjane Satrapi grew up in Tehran before leaving for Vienna and from there for Strasbourg, where she studied Decorative Arts. She has written another two comics for grown-ups: “Chicken with Plums”, which she also adapted for the big screen, and the incredibly fresh “Embroideries”, in which a group of women representing three generations meet around a samovar to gossip, share secrets, relate episodes from their lives and talk about relationships, men and sex.

Most of her recent work has been in the cinema. She directed Gang of the Jotas in 2013 and Voices in 2014, and is currently working on a movie entitled The “Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir”, starring Uma Thurman. However, she has continued to paint and exhibit her work. Marjan Satrapi lives in Paris.

After the event, Marjane Satrapi will sign books.
Μarjane Satrapi’s books will be available for sale at the Onassis Stegi’s foyer by Ilivaton and Epomenos Stathmos Books.

Two of her graphic novels have been published in Greek: “Persepolis” (I & II), translated by Georgia Tsakona and Melitta Gourtsogianni, and “Embroideries”, translated by Georgia Tsakona, both from Ilivaton publications.