Interview with Marjane Satrapi

The New York Times Magazine featured an interview with acclaimed author and illustrator Marjane Satrapi this week. She talks about her new movie, her views on plastic surgery, and how she doesn’t really like the term “graphic novel.”

Here’s an excerpt:

You’ve just turned your acclaimed series of graphic novels into a full-length animated film, “Persepolis,” an oddly charming tale about the brutal subject of growing up in Iran during the Islamic revolution. Would you still describe yourself mainly as a graphic novelist? I don’t very much like this term of graphic novel. I think they made up this term for the bourgeoisie not to be scared of comics. Like, Oh, this is the kind of comics you can read.

The problem with the phrase “graphic novel” is that it sounds as if it’s referring to a book with X-rated or at least overly explicit content. Exactly. Chris Ware said something great. He said when he hears the term graphic novel, it makes him think of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover.”

Do you think cartoonists have received their artistic due? No. People either like to write or they like to draw. And we like to do both. We’re like the bisexuals of the culture. People don’t have any problem if you are a homosexual or if you are a heterosexual, but if you are a bisexual, they have more of a problem with you.

Read more of the interview here.

Learn more about Marjane here.

See the trailer for “Persepolis” as well as behind-the-scenes snippets here.