A moment with ... author Marjane Satrapi

Thursday, May 29, 2003

By REBEKAH DENN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Marjane Satrapi delivers more than a history lesson in her graphic novel "Persepolis," an intensely engaging story of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran/Iraq war.

She hopes the autobiography of her rebellious childhood -- an account that's tragic, funny and surprisingly timely -- will show the world a truer picture of her country than current headlines provide. Satrapi will read at 7 Thursday night at The Elliott Bay Book Co.

On why she told her story in a graphic novel -- think elevated comic book -- rather than straight prose: "That is my way of expressing myself, and I think the pictures, they say always more than the words can say. Also, in pictures, they help me to have the distance without becoming cynical, and be able to describe a part of the story with humor -- which I couldn't do otherwise."

On why she left Iran as an adult (she now lives in Paris): "Probably I left Iran because I was not brave enough. ... I just needed to have more social freedom to be able to do my work. ... The ones that stayed in Iran despite all the censorship and everything, they do magnificent artistic work. I try to do what I can do from outside the country, and I think it's also important to have someone do stuff from outside."

On the warm U.S. reaction to her book: I'm extremely surprised, because of what I hear in the news here about the American policy and all of that. I was just sitting here hearing that Iran was the friend of Al Qaida! Al Qaida is a Sunni group (while Iran has a Shiite-led government); why would Iranians invite Al Qaida into their own homeland? ... I thought my task would be so hard here, that I would have to go on explaining that, no, we are not scary and not the "axis of evil." (But) people are very curious ... they want to understand.

On what she hopes people will take away from her book: "The only hope I had is that people would read my book and ... have another point of view. That is why my being here is so important now, is that tomorrow, if there are other bombs falling, (people should) ask the question twice: What are we scared of? Who is the "axis of evil," aren't they people just like us?"

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