Marjane Satrapi, French-Iranian author of ‘Persepolis,’ dies at 56

Culture & TrendsMarjane Satrapi, French-Iranian author of ‘Persepolis,’ dies at 56Satrapi was “a great artist who transformed an Iranian childhood into a universal fable,” the French presidency said Thursday.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Marjane Satrapi at a film festival in Compiegne, France in 2023.Sylvain Lefevre / Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 4, 2026, 7:24 AM EDTBy Chantal Da SilvaMarjane Satrapi, the French-Iranian author and illustrator behind the popular graphic novel series and film “Persopolis,” has died, the French presidency said Thursday. She was 56.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Satrapi’s graphic novel series recounted her early years growing up in Tehran against the backdrop of the 1979 revolution, before being sent to Europe by her parents. She was an outspoken critic of Iran’s theocratic government and advocate for women’s rights.“Her passing marks the loss of a leading figure in French culture and an artist deeply committed to freedom,” the French presidency said in a statement. It said Satrapi was “a great artist who transformed an Iranian childhood into a universal fable.”The acclaimed author “died of sadness,” her family told the Agence France-Presse news agency.The statement said the author had “died of sadness a little over a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life,” the AFP reported. Further details of her death were not immediately available.Ripa, a Swedish producer, actor and screenwriter, died in April of last year. In a series of recent posts on a verified Instagram page for Satrapi, the words “For I lost the love of my life” were spelled out. Satrapi was known as an outspoken critic of Iran’s theocratic government and her graphic novels highlighted the challenges she faced under the restrictions enforced by Iran’s Islamic leadership following the Iranian revolution, which saw the overthrow o...