Persepolis
A girl grows up in Tehran through a revolution and a war, and draws her life in black ink. Four lessons on how a memoir makes meaning.
Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis is one of the best-known graphic memoirs ever written. It is short on words and rich in meaning, which makes it ideal for learning how to read closely: how a page works, who is telling the story, what identity costs, and how far a true story can be trusted.
Each lesson teaches one tool you can use on any text, practises the language you need to write and talk about it, and ends with plenty of speaking. They build on each other, so take them in order. You do not need the book open, but reading it alongside will make everything stronger.
The map — click a lesson
Four lessons, one book, and the years it covers. Reading for pleasure rather than for an exam? See Persepolis: Book Club.
Who it is for
Anyone who wants to read a text closely and write or speak about it with precision: students of literature and anyone who wants an analytical, essay-ready approach to a book. (Reading for pleasure? Try the Book Club edition.) The language level is B2 to C1. No special knowledge of Iran or comics is needed — each lesson explains what you need.
The series
The four lessons
How each lesson works
Ten words, worked out before you read.
The book and its context, in three parts, with a check and a talking point after each.
A simple method, a chance to try it, and where it breaks.
The grammar and phrases you need to write and talk about it.
Timed speaking tasks, then harder questions.