Growing up in Iran, Marjane Satrapi daydreamed of being a beloved prophet leading an Islamic revolution - or, if not that, then maybe a whirling female version of Bruce Lee.

Now, at age 38, the woman some observers call a generational spokeswoman says she is unwilling to rally rebellions and even less interested in throwing unnecessary punches.

"I have stopped answering, now, well, I am only asking questions," says the artist and filmmaker. "And if I pay too much attention to what anybody says about me, then I would have to sit in my house and not draw, and that I do not want."

Some people wouldn't mind Satrapi putting down her pen - certainly not some government officials in her native country, where the Ministry of Culture has publicly denounced her first film, "Persepolis",

The animated feature is a coming-of-age tale about her youth in Iran that is sweet and darkly funny in the face of tragedy and stifling authority.

The film won a jury prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. France, where Satrapi lives, submitted "Persepolis" for best foreign-language film for the Academy Awards. It was nominated for best animated feature.

The 2003 book and its sequels have sold more than one million copies and Satrapi has become an in-demand lecturer. According to her publisher, Pantheon, the illustrated personal odyssey is being used as a text at more than 200 universities, including the US Military Academy at West Point.

"That is very strange to think about, but it is also something I am extremely proud of," Satrapi says. "College students - that age, it is a moment in life when someone can say something to you and you can still change ... your views are still open. Later it may be too late."

Cafe philosopher

Satrapi is a high-energy cafe philosopher by nature and she points out that she resists"e-mail and blogs and websites because if I sat at a computer, when would I have time to have fun and smoke my cigarettes and sleep?"

Through the largely black-and-white animation, Satrapi's goal was to create a nuanced portrayal of Iranian life and its textures - the way she struggled to wear her head scarf correctly, the interactions with her parents, and how Iran changed as the war with Iraq raged on.

"For me, what is important was an expression of the reality," she says. "The search for truth is much more important than the search for reality."

Los Angeles Times

Daily Xpress