A leading voice in contemporary comics has passed away... Marjane Satrapi died at the age of 56, her circle announced to AFP on Thursday, June 4, 2026. A novelist, filmmaker and painter of Franco-Iranian origin, she is closely associated with Persepolis, the black-and-white memoir published between 2000 and 2003, in which she recounts her childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and her subsequent exile in Europe.
Born in Iran, Marjane Satrapi moved to France in 1994 and became a French citizen in 2006. With Persepolis, she found a simple, direct way to tell a personal story set against the political upheavals in her homeland. The graphic novel, published by L’Association, has resonated with a wide audience and has been translated into several languages.
In 2007, Marjane Satrapi brought Persepolis to the big screen with Vincent Paronnaud. The animated feature won the Jury Prize at the Festival de Cannes, before being honored at the César, notably for Best First Film and Best Adaptation. After comics and cinema, the artist turned to painting as well, with exhibitions chiefly devoted to female figures.
In recent years, Marjane Satrapi kept voicing her stance on Iran and the plight of Iranian women. In January 2025, she declined the Legion of Honor, saying she was denouncing France’s stance toward Iran. Her death comes just over a year after that of her husband, Mattias Ripa, a producer, actor and screenwriter, who died on April 8, 2025. With her outspoken, unvarnished style, Marjane Satrapi leaves behind a body of work that will continue to speak to those for whom exile, memory, and freedom are deeply personal.
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