Okay. I realize that this thread has suffered rot death but I just had an opportunity to read this wonderful book via my wonderful library system. Here's hoping some further discussion is revived.
Overall, I think this is the one of the best graphic novels I've read this year. The whole book is filled with the oppressive dread of ineventable history as the characters and their community careen towards the clerical revolution of Iran. I think the book accomplishes two very important tasks. First, it tells a compelling memoir. Second, it acts as a cultural bridge. Both tasks are equally important because the memoir would fail if it didn't reach across the abyss between Westerners and Iranians, and the bridge would lack all vigor if the story wasn't compelling. As such, I think it's a testament to the untapped potential in comics to tell stories. We don't see enough works trying accomplish the goals of PERSEPOLIS; the only other creator who comes close is Joe Sacco.
The art was deceptively simple. Deceptive in that an initial impression may be incredulous towards the basic positive/negative space and designs. It lacks texture and grays and depth. Yet Satrapi's art is perfect for this project. It eliminates unnecessary background clutter that would be distracting to Westerners; thereby focusing our attention on the immediate events. She is selective in what she shows us, never revealing too much of the surroundings, and the reader's mind doesn't wander. We are left to digest fully and completely what nuggets of culture Satrapi has deemed pertinent to the story. In addition to helping non-Iranian readers, it also mimics the ever-widening perceptions of a child who slowly begins to fill in the unspoken blanks of the world around her.
The story, or rather stories since the book is actually built around many 8 page stories, is methodical and sincere. There are one or two holes and the aforementioned disappearance of the maid is one of the notable examples. I don't think they detract from the work though; at least not so much that they render the piece crippled. The maid doesn't play a crucial role later one and so her story can affectively end where it does. Characters can just as easily enter the story as they leave and so the rapid coming and goings take on a rhythm as one goes on.
Some of my favorites bit include the Rod Stewart wannabes and their mullets - clear proof that Western Culture DOES threaten the Eastern world, Satrapi's uncle, and the children playing with their cowls. Her vignettes reveal something that the simple honesty and love of family can offer more clues to cultural happiness than religious oppression.
Satrapi and I are the same age and so perhaps I was more readily affected by her memoir. If offered a fascinating parallel to my life and a window into a life that doesn't seem all that dissimilar to my own. Yet the events surrounding her life are vastly different and far more violent. PERSEPOLIS gave me a look into an unseen corner of my life and times and I for one am grateful.
I look forward to more volumes in this series and wish that more comic creators and publishers could produce work of this high quality and sincerity. |
