Persepolis and Embroideries: Seething contradictions in the lives of Iranian women

I got introduced to these two beautifully poignant graphic novels by a friend who gifted me Persepolis. I was hooked onto so much that I ended up ordering Embroideries.

What stood out for me is the deeply heart wrenching reality of Iranian women during the Islamic Revolution that is woven with raw humor throughout - aptly capturing their contrasting public and private lives.

Marjane Satrapi is a genius graphic novelist with a bulls-eye, candid articulation. Portrayal of Iranian women in any context, specially so in the context of the Islamic revolution, is no easy feat but Marjane does it with such brilliance that the book stays with you for a very long time.

Persepolis

I will start with a quote from the book which piqued my emotions to an extent that cannot be put into words: I remember the days when we traveled around Europe, it was enough to carry an Iranian passport. They rolled out the red carpet. We were rich before. Now as soon as they learn our nationality, they go through everything, as though we were all terrorists. They treat us as though we have the plague.

Marjane's book is nothing less than revolutionary. It is beyond my grasp how could a topic that piques severe emotions can be expressed in a seemingly simplistic manner but still manages to shake you up from inside.

It's her unforgettable and life-defining story of growing up in a loving family based in Tehran. The book traces their beautiful, intimate family moments prior to the Revolution, followed by the turmoil that they endured during the Revolution and goes all the way of her ending up in Vienna for higher education. She eventually finds her way back home because a part of her always remained in Tehran, with her family.

Why do I highly recommend this one?

• The book is a tightly-packed capsule, offering historical, political and cultural contexts in the most palatable way.

• The recent heartbreaking incident of Mahsa Amini losing her life and the ensuing women-led protests in Iran is another testament of how little have things changed and how unspeakably brutal is it to be a woman in Iran, which was once a liberal land with free-flowing ideas and rich culture.

• The book beautifully puts in perspective how Iran changed through the three generations described - hers', her parents' and her grandmothers'.

• You will be indulged in the mores of Iran, both, the present-day and what once was.

• The portrayal of the book and the direction of its narrative is befitting, in line with her parents being Marxists and her grandfather being a Persian emperor.

The artistic rendering of everyday actions in the backdrop of the now repressive culture is endearing. Satrapi says, "I read The Second Sex. Simone explained that if women peed standing up, their perception of life would change. So I tried. It ran lightly down my left leg. It was a little disgusting. Seated, it was much simpler. And, as an Iranian woman, before learning to urinate like a man, I needed to learn to become a liberated and emancipated woman."

The only thing that fell flat for me is the last few pages where the whole story is wrapped too promptly and in a way, abruptly. But almost the rest of the book compensates for that miss brilliantly! It's after all an honest exploration of life in Iran, but is also reflective of the reality of refugees in western countries.

Embroideries

With Embroideries, Satrapi, paints a smaller canvas - focusing on the close-knit, intimate life of Iranian women. It is poignant that beyond the monochrome outward, public experience, they try their best to keep their inner lives as colorful as it possibly can be in such brutal circumstances.

Why I recommend it?

• It's a vibrant tale of women, as they gather once the evening progresses, with their embroideries and more than that, tales of failed marriages, secrets and regrets, fantasies that they know will remain unfulfilled - all with a pinch of raw humor and a lingering sense of an unfound passion.

• Hilarious and revealing, though disheartening, these stories hold a picture of what it is to be a woman in present-day Iran and how they are still trying to make the most out of the inhumane righteousness they are supposed to breathe in.

Her grandmother is shown as the one who kickstarts these sessions with anecdotes from her times - from using white magic to make a man propose to more bawdy talks about marriages and virginity.

A happy marriage comes off as a dream that hardly anyone has lived; it's almost as if women's existence ceases to exist beyond the veil. The narrartive is fiercely articulate with the graphics staring right back at you, looking in the eye and testifying the position of women in the Iranian society at an undeniable disadvantage.

Satrapi's grandmother beautifully says, "That's life! Sometimes you're on the horse's ack and sometimes it's the horse that's on your back." It's a story that shows a laser-pointed light at the end of a dark tunnel!