Millions of copies of Persepolis have been sold since the series were published in the early 2000s, propelling Satrapi to become one of the best-selling Iranian authors in the world.
She also became the first woman to be nominated for an animated feature film Oscar for the popular adaptation of her series, according to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Tributes began to pour in Thursday morning as news of the author’s death spread.
“Marjane was a true artist and advocate for Iranian women and freedom,” British-Iranian journalist Christiane Amanpour said in a post on X. Amanpour, CNN’s chief international anchor, noted that Satrapi “disrupted literature with her wildly successful autobiographical graphic novel.”
“Great sadness upon hearing of the passing of my friend Marjane Satrapi. She was a great artist, comics creator, painter, filmmaker, but above all a passionate and committed woman,” Valérie Pécresse, president of the regional council of Île-de-France, said in a post on X on Thursday.
“From Persepolis to her biopic of Marie Curie, “Radioactive,” she established herself as a major voice in the defense of democracy and women’s rights in Iran and around the world,” she said, adding that Satrapi had been “deeply affected” by the death of her husband.
Pantheon, Satrapi’s longtime US publisher, said of the author’s passing, “Her beloved graphic memoir PERSEPOLIS transformed a childhood shaped by revolution and exile into a universal story of freedom and dignity that has reached nearly 3.5 million readers in the U.S. alone. Through her work in comics, art, and film, she has helped readers and viewers find a deeper understanding of Iran, and of our shared humanity.”
