Culture | Iran, drawn

A new graphic novel takes aim at Iran’s oppressive government

The author of “Persepolis” returns with a riveting collection of illustrated stories

Illustration of a woman holding a placard reading 'Woman, Life, Freedom' by Catel Muller from the novel Woman, Life, Freedom.
Never waving the white flagPhotograph: Catel Muller

Covering the mêlée of missiles exchanged between Iran and Israel in April, many newspapers, including this one, used a similar photograph. It was of a woman wearing a hijab and walking past a mural depicting Iranian rockets. The choice summed up the things for which Iran’s thuggish theocracy is best known: sabre-rattling and controlling women.

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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Iran, drawn”

From the May 4th 2024 edition

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