I saw myself in Marji, a revolutionist wannabe, with more books and political curiosity than what I knew to do with. The first time I read Persepolis, I remember being fascinated and heartbroken by a story that seemed so close yet so far from my reality. I could have another piece of my family while connecting with others. So, besides my family, books were always my connection I could see and hear history and culture without needing to cross an ocean. But unfortunately, we still haven’t made our way to Lebanon yet. A few years ago we tried to make a trip-me, her, and my mother-to visit Beirut. I still feel most at home when I visit her, and she had Kibbeh or Kafta waiting for me in the oven. My grandmother always told me stories of Lebanon, of her parents, culture, and the beauty of the language I unfortunately never got to learn. I was fortunate enough not to have been born during a war or conflict, which also made me fascinated by how different my world was from my grandmother’s. But, most importantly, it was an open door for me to understand the Middle Eastern and Persian region’s political history beyond the media chaos around it, and started a life long love for graphic memoirs and novels.Ĭoming from a Lebanese heritage, I always felt a link with the region. So I reread the book and thought a little about the many times the book was present in my life, helping me understand and relate more to my family heritage.
Nonetheless, with the current political crisis bringing Iran back into the global spotlight, Persepolis proves its lasting literary impact. Since the 1970s, when Persepolis takes place, the situation in Iran and the Middle East has changed several times. Persepolis is a modern classic that has defined what I would call the modern graphic novel renascence. Widely read, both outside and inside classrooms, the book has ushered in several public discussions on what it means to live through systematic violent change.
If you haven’t, you really should, especially if you are interested in what’s happening in the Persian region today. If you like graphic novels, you probably have by now read Persepolis by Marjane Satapri.
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