R.I.P Uncle Anoosh

Appears in 2 stories in Persepolis 2, "Moscow", and "The Sheep", Anoosh is one of Marjane's dad's brothers. Out of all 5 uncles that Marjane has, Anoosh is the only one that she has never met, until his return from Russia.
Always fascinated by the idea of a hero whom has been in prison, Marjane is overjoyed when she learns that her uncle Anoosh had been in jail for 9 years.
Telling it as bedtime story, Anoosh begins the story of his life starting when he was 18 and leaving his parents to be with his uncle, Fereydoon, who self proclaimed to be the minister of a new republic. Fereydoon was soon arrested, and Anoosh was on the run since. He finally went to Moscow, became a student, got his doctorate, even got married and had 2 children. Insinuating that his wife separated him from his children, he attempted to get home by disguising himself in order to pass the airport. However, he was recognized and arrested. Then goes 9 years of being imprisoned. 

uncle Anoosh gives Marjane a swan he made from bead when he was in prison

Soon after the reunion with his family, Anoosh is arrested again.
In prison, Anoosh was granted 1 visit, and he wished to see little Marjane. In this visit, he gives her a second bead swan, "it's the uncle of the first one", he tells her.


















 That's the last time Marjane ever sees her beloved uncle; he was executed soon after, as a Russian spy.

I too, had an uncle who was imprisoned for years, it was not because he was accused a communist like Anoosh was, it was the communists he was against and it was them who arrested him.This happened way before I was born. When I was born, he was already released. As I remember, he did not look very healthy, always had a gloomy expression on his face, and rarely went out of his room. It was a dark room, with a heavy smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke.
However, I enjoyed being around him. His face lightened up a bit when he saw me though. He would always buy me candies and told me stories of when he was young and ambitious, or we would make car models out of his cigarette boxes.
One chilly winter day when I was with mom at home, we had a phone call. She bursted into tears, put on a jacket, put me in a jacket, and we headed to my uncle's house. He passed away that very day. I was nine.

Persepolis 1: The Story of a Childhood

Persepolis, is a memoir of her childhood growing up during the Revolution, the subsequent Islamic regime that took control of Iran after the Revolution, and the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980's.

 Depicted in the form of classic black and white comic, Persepolis 1: the Story of a Childhood is a lively memoir of Marjane Satrapi at the age of 8-14.









 As Satrapi said in one of her interviews, the reason why she chose to make this memoir a comic was because there are many war related, political, and other heavy aspects included in the book, thus presented in form of comic would be easier for the reader to absorb all the information. Moreover, black and white comic strips in newspaper is also something very familiar and acquainted to everyone of all ages, making it light and easy to accept.
Although the political and war aspects are mentioned throughout the whole book, they are mostly depicted under the eye of a child, told in a very smooth way. She also blends in bits of her daily life, which sometimes can be chaotic due to the effect of a revolution, though there are times when it's pure happiness.

 There is also a movie version of the book, which came out in 2007.

My Avatar and I

This is me. Nineteen year old. Usually think twice about everything and anything twice before speaking it out, just to minimize the chances of that what-the-heck-was-I-thinking moment from happening (well, except for when I have coffee, be totally hyper). As a result, I'm boring at everyday conversation. Or so I think.

This is Maruko-chan. my avatar. She's nine. She's mischievous, optimistic, and absolutely carefree. For better or for worse, she speaks the first thought that comes to her mind.