前情提要:小小瑪嘉來自伊朗中產階級自由派的家庭。父親、叔叔都是積極的社會運動人士,母親也是享受平等權利的新女性。然而在伊朗革命之際,他們受到監視,家庭中不斷發生家人突然消失的事件……
若從整個中東泛伊斯蘭教的脈絡來看,伊朗是一個 相當特別的國家。大部分住在伊朗的居民是波斯人,通行波斯語,而其歷史傳統更世界文明史上獨特而淵遠留長的一支。在二十世紀的舞台上,伊朗的國風曾經一度開放,雖是君主憲政的專制政體,國家也在此時完成現代化(西化)理想。主流信仰伊斯蘭教還未被基本教義派教徒所掌握,直到作者瑪嘉.莎塔碧(Marjane Satrapi)所經歷的1979年伊朗革命之後改朝換代,西方的價值觀被鎮壓。這是小小瑪嘉的童年。
長大後的瑪嘉把千百個疑問與擔心畫在紙上。瑪嘉的畫風以黑白為主調,大量黑色的運用令畫面充滿力量,故事簡潔動人。隨著主角Marji的成長,大家可以深入地了解伊朗的歷史、政治和文化。 Persepolis上下二冊,在法國推出時大獲好評,被譯成十多種文字,並獲得了包括2004年德國法蘭克福書展「最佳漫畫獎」等多個漫畫書大獎。 而二十一世紀的我們,也還是問著小小瑪嘉的問題,為什麼女孩子不准上學?為什麼女生一定要帶頭紗?這是一個遙遠而古老文化在二十世紀經歷巨變的故事,也是小小瑪嘉的成長故事。
中文版由香港三聯出版社發行。
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s acclaimed graphic memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.
"A wholly original achievement.... Satrapi evokes herself and her schoolmates coming of age in a world of protests and disappearances.... A stark, shocking impact." --The New York Times: "The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years" In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the coming-of-age story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country. Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane’s child’s-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.