Marjane Satrapi, French-Iranian author of 'Persepolis', dies of 'sadness' at 56

Franco-Iranian author and film director Marjane Satrapi, renowned for her graphic novel and film "Persepolis", has died aged 56, a year after the passing of "the love of her life", a member of her close circle said on Thursday.

"Marjane Satrapi died of sadness a little over a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life," they said in a statement sent to AFP.

Born in 1969 in Rasht in northern Iran, Satrapi arrived in France in 1994 and gained French nationality in 2006.

An outspoken critic of Iran's theocratic government, Satrapi's "Persepolis" recounts her early life in Tehran, struggling with restrictions imposed by Iran's Islamic leadership after the 1979 revolution before her parents sent her to Europe and she began a life in exile.

French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Satrapi, saying she was "a great artist who turned her Iranian childhood into a universal tale".

The films she directed included a 2007 adaptation of the graphic novel of "Persepolis" – co-directed by Vincent Paronnaud – which won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar. 

"Even if this is a universal film, I want to dedicate this prize to all Iranians," Satrapi said at the time. 

"Marjane was an extraordinary artist and a charming woman who embodied the joy of creation and the sorrow of exile and painful memories. We mourn her this morning," Cannes festival supremo Thierry Fremaux told AFP.   

'Her courage will resonate'

She was a vocal supporter of the protests that erupted in the Islamic republic after the 2022 death of 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini while in custody for allegedly breaching the dress code for women.

She curated a collection of graphic stories on the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement in her latest book that came out in English in 2024, and was among those at a protest in Paris that same year to mark two years since Amini's death.

"It's very important that this regime disappears," she said of the Islamic republic, but she stressed it could not happen overnight.

"I think it's important to remain hopeful."  

The foundation of Narges Mohammadi, the jailed Iranian Nobel peace prize winner, praised Satrapi as "a fearless voice for feminism, human rights, and freedom". 

"She consistently advocated for women's rights, standing in solidarity with the people of Iran and amplifying the message of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement on the global stage," it said. 

"Her courage will continue to resonate far beyond her lifetime." 

Also a painter, in 2020 Satrapi exhibited a series of works she said she had spent the past seven years painting between other projects, speaking of a need to isolate herself from the world with her canvases.

 "I think my mental health depends on it," she said.

She said she believed in being a feminist through her actions.

"If I show that I know how to do things just as well as – or even better than – a man, then I've won the battle and I can be an example for the girl who will come after me," she said.

'Love of my life'

She said last year she had turned down France's highest civilian honour, the legion d'honneur, accusing the country of "hypocrisy" over visa policies that prevented dissidents travelling from Iran to France.

Read more'Persepolis' author refuses French award over Iran 'hypocrisy'

"I can't ignore what I see as a hypocritical attitude towards Iran, which forged the other part of my identity," she wrote, adding that she meant no disrespect to the award and that she loved France "deeply".

Her work expanded beyond stories connected to Iran, including "Radioactive", a 2019 biopic about pioneering radioactivity researcher and Nobel-prize winner Marie Curie, starring Rosamund Pike. 

Her husband, a Swedish producer, actor and screenwriter, had been a long-time collaborator.  

After his death on April 8 last year, Satrapi founded the Mattias and Marjane Ripa-Satrapi Cinema Foundation to support foreign students wishing to come to Paris to study filmmaking. 

Since he died, Satrapi's Instagram page consisted almost exclusively of a series of images spelling out "For I lost the love of my life", along with a picture of her husband and an announcement of the foundation. 

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)