BD review: Marjane Satrapi's "Poulet aux prunes"

Adrian K Sanders writing for I V Y paris

With the release of her critically acclaimed animated film, Persepolis, based on the even more critically acclaimed bande dessinee of the same name, Marjane Satrapi has catapulted herself into the public limelight. But while Persepolis might be garnering all the attention, it's her most recent works that have established her as a true master of bande dessinee in the eyes of fellow cartoonists.

In an era of innumerable autobiographical BD, craft has taken a backseat to the interest in the inherent authority of the genre. Even if it’s poorly drawn and meanders into boredom, we know it happened therefore we are interested and satisfied. The greatest faults are forgiven all in the name of “truth.” Reality TV in comic book format. Persepolis had gone above and beyond this, weaving a very intricate coming of age tale into a very complicated political history. Satrapi has cast off the autobio crutch and transformed her personal histories into some incredibly captivating stories. Her newest BD, Poulet aux prunes sees her venturing away from her immediate family and further along her roots in arguably her strongest work to date.

The retelling of her great uncle’s death is depicted in such a perfectly structured fashion that only a brief cameo by Satrapi herself reminds us that it is, in fact, memoir. The famous musician Nasser Ali Khan has succumbed to a fatal depression after seeing his wife destroy his Tar (an Iranian instrument). After searching in vain for a new instrument, Ali Khan decides that he will end his life. For eight days he stays in bed, eats nothing and speaks few words with family members.

During his reflections, Ali Khan search for answers as to the significance of music, his Tar, and his life are met with interactions both fantastical and real. Satrapi ties various threads of his history, breaking all of the action down day by day into small vignettes until his death. Every detail and character occupies a specific role in those day segments further revealing things about Ali Khan’s history, and his depression.

Where Satrapi as narrator really shines is in the revelation of things Ali Khan will never come to reflect on. The great musician sits in his bedroom, feeling disdain for his young son, who aspires to be a store keeper but Satrapi doesn’t stop this particular aspect of the history here. Instead, the young Mozaffar’s story continues, briefly described as the successful and happy life he leads in America after his father’s death.

The effect of this story is important, and the timing is apt. Using only four pages, Satrapi creates an important juxtaposition between tortured artist, and exuberant son. Where Poulet aux prunes is the fitting end to a tragic love story for Ali Khan, it is only the beginning to the misadventures of Mozaffar.

If you've never read any of Satrapi's works, Poulet aux prunes stands on its own, and is definitely worth reading. But when you dive in, already recognizing some of the characters from other stories, Poulet Aux Prunes begins to look like a carefully formed piece of a larger puzzle. This patchwork of stories disintegrates Satrapi's autobiographical world and replaces it with something more exciting: her own mythology.

Comments

[suzanne]

i loved Persepolis. Does the granny appear again?

[adrian]

No, but she's the start of Satrapi's other book "Embroideries," which is really hilarious.