On the first floor of Villa Galvani, an original page from Persepolis, drawn in ink on paper by Marjane Satrapi, is on display.
Published in France by L’Association, the work has gained international recognition as a masterpiece of the graphic novel and one of the most influential works of drawn narrative in the contemporary age. It is a historical and autobiographical account, written in French, that follows the author’s life from childhood in Iran to adulthood. On one hand, you observe a country changing after the Islamic Revolution through the eyes of a growing child; on the other, you enter the experience of exile in Europe, lived by a teenager forced to leave her country and to confront a Western world that is different and often distant.
The essential line and the stark black and white make the narrative intimate and direct, as personal as a conversation between friends.
Persepolis marks a crucial moment for contemporary comics, opening new paths for the author-driven graphic novel.
