Marjane Satrapi Lecture

On November 4, 2014, Marjane Satrapi came to Texas Christian University to speak about her life and graphic novel, Persepolis, which incoming TCU first-year students read over the summer.  Persepolis was written and illustrated by Satrapi and tells the story of her growing up in Iran during the 1979 Revolution.

Before the interview began, Satrapi apologized in advance for her English, which she claimed was not very good, as English is neither her first or second language.  This was completely unnecessary, as she spoke nearly flawlessly in her third language.  For an hour, Satrapi eloquently answered questions about her work, as well as her opinion on many current issues, including prejudices against Muslim, stereotypes of Iranians in the media, and even the ban on smoking in many cities.  She shared her personal struggles with these issues, as well as her struggles with depression and feeling like an outsider in her home country.  Overall, Satrapi was not only extremely well-informed about current issues, but was able to boldly express her opinion while also remaining humorous and relatable.  What really stood out throughout the whole interview was her courage and devotion to what she loved.  Her passion for everything she does was evident, especially when she explained that even if being an artist meant she would have to live in poverty, she would still chose to do her art because she would rather be happy than have a well paying job that she didn't love.  Her appreciation for living a full and happy life was inspiring, because often people are focused on doing something they don't like just so that they are able to afford material goods.  As someone who has lived in multiple, very different countries, her view of the life and the world in general was quite interesting to hear.