Though it tells a largely uninterrupted story of Satrapi’s childhood and youth, Persepolis was initially published as a series. Satrapi initially published her memoir in a series of four French-language installments. When translated into English, the series became a duology, with Persepolis 1 (2003) recounting Satrapi’s childhood in Iran until her departure for Austria and Persepolis 2 (2004) exploring her four years in Austria, her return to Iran, her marriage and divorce to a young artist, and her eventual departure for Paris. It was not until the 2007 film adaptation that the story became available in a single volume.

Both volumes of Persepolis have criticism. The memoir is banned in Iran, and some have described it as Islamophobic. However, the work has also attracted backlash in Western countries, including the United States, where it has appeared on the ALA’s list of frequently challenged books (Oksman, Tahneer. “A Look at the Tumultuous Life of ‘Persepolis’ as It Turns 20.” NPR, 17 Aug. 2023). The inclusion of Persepolis in school curricula has proven especially controversial, with some parents objecting to the work’s violence and others to its focus on a Muslim culture (“Case Study: Persepolis.