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

france24.com

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

#11

Post by SSLy »

inglor_cz wrote: post #8
NordStreamYacht wrote: post #4

What's the connection with France? Even Khomeini was in exile in France until the shah was deposed.

France was historically very interested in the Near and Middle East, though colonially somewhat less successful than the UK; Napoleon sailed to Egypt in 1799, and later the French Republic protected Lebanese and Syrian Christians, up to some point in history. People from the Levant still like to study in France (incl. Nassim Nicholas Taleb). Hence, France is considered a strong and culturally developed country in the…

And French is still language of educated class in some places in Levant, esp. Liban.

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

#13

Post by everdrive »

I always enjoyed the first half of Persepolis. Told from Satrapi's perspective, it was a very relatable story about a young child who was swept up by the world events around her, and tried to rebel in very normal, child-like ways. It was very relatable in that abstract sense, even if most of us have not been through a violent revolution. (and even more violent subsequent war with a neighboring state)

The second half of Persepolis was much more difficult for me, and I never know how to feel about it. I think above all else Satrapi deserves a lot of credit for describing herself realistically rather than trying to paint herself as a good person. (not that she was a bad person, but that she didn't shy away from parts of the story that show her in a poor light) I have a lot of respect for her honesty in the second half of the story, however her time in exile in Europe seemed to be one of self-indulgence, meandering, and minor self-destruction. All of which are understandable for someone who has been through such a traumatic turn of events, however it was a bit sad that the young, rebellious child that was so likable did not seem to survive the conflict.

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

#14

Post by EB-BarringtonII »

everdrive wrote: post #7
EB-BarringtonII wrote: post #6

[flagged]

>Did you ever notice you almost never read anything good about Iran? You can read plenty of good about Iran if you read something other than geopolitical news. It's a very interesting country with an incredibly interesting history and language. The news is a pretty poor source for much of anything except for "events are happening" or "politicians have an agenda in [area]" -- I don't mean to belittle those. Both of th…

I have spent half of the last decade or so on the ground in Iran. You're right the "news" is a very poor source for much of anything about Iran.

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

#15

Post by forlorn_mammoth »

EB-BarringtonII wrote: post #6

[flagged]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirrors_of_the_Unseen

> Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iran (2006) is a travel book written by British travel writer Jason Elliot.

And a fascinating history of mathematics as well.

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

#17

Post by EB-BarringtonII »

Tade0 wrote: post #12
EB-BarringtonII wrote: post #6

[flagged]

I believe there is a qualitative difference between the governing systems in the west and a place where there are seven official allowed haircuts for men, aside from other things.

I believe there is a qualitative difference between the governing systems in a country that tries to regulate personal appearances, and one that would shift it's military to the other side of the planet, bombing and murdering Iranian school children and civilians en-masse for no particular reason.

I also believe that your claim of seven "official allowed" haircuts is bs, as with almost everything I ever read about Iran.

Source: I see that Tehrani men have the same variety of haircuts and facial hair styles as in any other city on the planet.

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

#19

Post by Triphibian »

SSLy wrote: post #11
inglor_cz wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

France was historically very interested in the Near and Middle East, though colonially somewhat less successful than the UK; Napoleon sailed to Egypt in 1799, and later the French Republic protected Lebanese and Syrian Christians, up to some point in history. People from the Levant still like to study in France (incl. Nassim Nicholas Taleb). Hence, France is considered a strong and culturally developed country in the…

And French is still language of educated class in some places in Levant, esp. Liban.

When I lived in Tehran in the late '70s people said "merci" to express thanks.

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

#20

Post by rjsw »

inglor_cz wrote: post #8
NordStreamYacht wrote: post #4

What's the connection with France? Even Khomeini was in exile in France until the shah was deposed.

France was historically very interested in the Near and Middle East, though colonially somewhat less successful than the UK; Napoleon sailed to Egypt in 1799, and later the French Republic protected Lebanese and Syrian Christians, up to some point in history. People from the Levant still like to study in France (incl. Nassim Nicholas Taleb). Hence, France is considered a strong and culturally developed country in the…

A more recent influence came from the Sykes-Picot Agreement [1].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sykes%E2%80%93Picot_Agreement

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