Marjane Satrapi, by the accounts of many who have met her, is a tour de force. Conversant in six languages, at turns abrasive and warm, she is a challenging and inspiring public figure who has almost singlehandedly brought an awareness of the Islamic Revolution to an international audience that numbers in the millions. Her graphic memoir, Persepolis, was in 2001 the recipient of one of the most heralded prizes in graphic arts, the Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Scenario. The film adaptation, released in 2007 and starring Catherine Deneuve (among others) won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, catapulting Satrapi into even greater international fame.
Far before...