French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, of the memoir-turned-film “Persepolis,” dies at 56

French-Iranian author, illustrator and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi, best known for “Persepolis,” has died at 56, according toFrance 24. Her family and entourage said she died of “sadness” after the death of her husband, Mattias Ripa, last year, the report said.

Satrapi was born in 1969 in Rasht, in northern Iran, and came of age during the turmoil after the 1979 revolution, CNN confirmed. Her memoir “Persepolis” turned that experience into a global story about childhood, repression and exile, according to the source.

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From Tehran to global recognition

According to CNN, her graphic novel became a film in 2007, co-directed with Vincent Paronnaud. The movie won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award.

Satrapi also directed “Radioactive,” a 2019 film about Marie Curie, and worked across graphic novels, painting and film, France 24 noted. She gained French nationality in 2006 and remained a sharp critic of Iran’s ruling system, the source said.

According to the reports, she supported the Woman, Life, Freedom movement after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022. She also refused France’s Legion of Honour last year, citing what she called France’s “hypocritical attitude” toward Iran, per France 24.

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Legacy of activism and art

French President Emmanuel Macron described her as “a great artist who turned her Iranian childhood into a universal tale,” according to France 24. The Narges Foundation, associated with jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, called her “a fearless voice for feminism, human rights, and freedom,” the report said.

After Ripa’s death, Satrapi created a cinema foundation in his name to help foreign students study filmmaking in Paris, according to the sources. Her work and public statements made her one of the best-known cultural voices linking Iranian history, exile and women’s rights.