Der Seufzer

by Marjane Satrapi

Rose ist eine von drei Töchtern eines reichen Kaufmanns, der seinen Mädchen von jeder Reise in ferne Länder die schönsten Geschenke mitbringt. Eines Tages bittet Rose ihren Vater um Samen von blauen Bohnen, doch es gelingt ihm nicht, ihn zu finden. Sie seufzt vor Enttäuschung, was ein rätselhaftes Wesen herbeiruft ... Nach ihrem großen Erfolg mit "Persepolis" wendet sich die Autorin nun der morgenländischen Fabelwelt zu und legt mit "Der Seufzer" eine Geschichte voller Magie, Sehnsucht und Wünsche vor.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Young Adult, Graphic Novels Comics

56 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Marjane Satrapi (Persian: مرجان ساتراپی) was born in Rasht (Iran, 22nd November 1969 - Paris, june 4th, 2026). Conditioned by the extremism of the 1979 Revolution, her parents sent her to Vienna in 1983 to finish her studies at the French Lyceum in the Austrian capital. She later returned to Tehran and enrolled in the School of Fine Arts, but, in 1994, she moved to France before graduating. She studied at the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg (currently, Haute école des arts du Rhin) and later moved to Paris. According to specialists, Marjane Satrapi is one of the most prominent names in international comics, author of what is, for many, one of the best graphic novels ever published: Persepolis (2000), an autobiographical story that narrates her childhood and adolescence in Iran, of which it has been said that “few works have had such an ability to permeate pop culture and, at the same time, be one of the best historical narratives of our time”. Persepolis won the Angoulême Coup de Coeur Award for Best New Author at the Angoulême Festival. In 2001, the second volume also received the award for Best Script at Angoulême. The third and fourth volumes achieved even greater popularity, garnering international success. In 2007, she teamed up with Vincent Paronnaud to turn the comic into an animated film. The adaptation won the Film Critics Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival in 2007 and the César Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2008, in addition to being nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2008 Oscars. Other notable works of hers include Broderies (2003) (Embroideries, 2005) and Poulet aux prunes (2004) (Chicken with Plums, 2006), which was also adapted to film in 2011. In 2023, she coordinated the book Femme, vie, liberté (Woman, Life, Freedom, 2024) together with political scientist Farid Vahid and historian Abbas Milani, both Iranians, and French reporter Jean-Pierre Perrin, in addition to an international group of seventeen comic book authors (including Spaniards Patricia Bolaños and Paco Roca and several Iranians). In this work, she illustrates the revolts that occurred in Iran after the murder of Mahsa Amini in 2022 at the hands of the so-called "morality police", and denounces the repression and lack of human rights that, according to Satrapi, Iranian society, especially women, suffer at the hands of the regime. The Persian version of this book is accessible online for free to all Iranians.

In addition to the film adaptation of Persepolis, Satrapi has directed the films La Bande des Jotas (The Gang of Jotas, 2012), The Voices (2014) and Radioactive (2019), a biography of scientist Marie Curie. Another discipline in which she has stood out has been painting, with important exhibitions in Parisian galleries such as the Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont. This year, a tapestry designed by Satrapi commissioned by France’s statutory Mobilier Nacional is on display at the Hôtel de la Marine in Paris to mark the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. Commander of France’s Order of Arts and Letters, Marjane Satrapi holds honorary degrees from the Belgian universities UC Louvain and KU Leuven. She was elected member of the French Academy of Fine Arts in 2024.

Reviews

[Bahar Jaberi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is not original. Samad Behrangi also has it in his Azarbaijan stories anthology. In Persian, it has so many different kinds of connotation and symbolism that was lost in translation. Awkward translation went hand in hand with the strange mix of modern day drawings that had little to do with the old world feel of the story. As you can see I am disappointed and expected so much more from Satrapi who is an icon for me. I unfortunately can only afford two stars.

[Akylina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marjane Satrapi is mostly known for 'Persepolis', a work I have not had the opportunity to read yet. I thought 'The Sigh' might be a good introduction to her work, given its short length, but I was slightly disappointed. First of all, this is not a graphic novel but rather an illustrated fairytale. The story was pleasant but nothing too impressive. It is certainly a quick and easy read, but nothing sort of life-changing.

[Safaneh · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a beautiful story, but I am very disappointed that Satrapi has not mentioned that this book is a rendition of several very old Iranian stories.

[Laura Zurowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm such a fan of Marjane Satrapi's other books that I didn't think twice about shelling out $10 for The Sigh at my local bookstore. The Persepolis series? A thought-provoking historical and personal narrative. Chicken With Plums? A heartbreaking romantic tale of Byron-esque proportions. Embroideries? A funny, insightful exploration of female relationships. The Sigh? Ummmm.... a prettily illustrated fairy tale of sorts about a woman who feels a need to punish herself after accidentally harming her lover?

I get the message Satrapi might be trying to communicate here; women sometimes make mistakes in their personal relationships. Sometimes they're out of selfishness, sometimes out of ignorance, and sometimes sheer unanticipated accidents occur. And as a result of these human failings, we may feel deep regret and guilt over the outcomes. I understand that. I've been there.

However, in The Sigh, the message is that after dragging yourself through the Valley of the Shadows, after selling yourself into slavery to atone for your mistakes, that your true love with return and you'll live happily ever after. Honestly, that kind of message bothers me. It's certainly worthy of discussion as an adult, but as this book contains the banner on the back-cover, "Suitable for readers of all ages" I don't know how I'd feel reading a book with this kind of undercurrent with a child.

Personally, I'd skip reading The Sigh as a bed-time story and wait until junior high school so we could share Persepolis and explore the rich content and lessons it contains together.

[Zai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta novela gráfica de Marjane Satrapi me ha gustado, anteriormente leí Persépolis y no terminó de gustarme del todo, y menos mal que le he dado una segunda oportunidad porque El suspiro me ha gustado mucho.

El suspiro comienza con una familia, un comerciante que tenía 3 hijas y la trama se centra en la menor, Rosa y en todas las aventuras que le suceden. Es un cuento adaptado a novela gráfica lleno de fantasía, aventuras y también un poco de romance.

[Lucy · Rating 1 out of 5]

★☆☆☆☆

Wow. I really didn't like this. I picked it up because the cover is beautiful and it's a short book. I bought this at a used book store, so I'm unsure if it is generally for younger audiences, but even that is still terrible.

This is the most instalove story I've read in a long time and the main genre I read is YA, so that is hard to do... if this is for kids, I get it. The story has to move along quickly so they don't get bored BUT SERIOUSLY IT'S WAY TOO WEIRD.

Just in case you want to read this, I'm going to spoil the whole book. But I strongly suggest you don't waste your time.

The premise of the book is that this girl named Rose is granted a wish by this phantom slash genie thing and it's great for a year, until she is taken away to live in a castle. So that's pretty weird. But life there is nice until she finds out that the reason she has to live in this castle is because the prince of the sighs (or something like that) has fallen in love with her, and couldn't stand to be apart from her. So he asked his little henchman (the genie thing) to take her away. And every night she would be given this tea that would put her to sleep. So one night she doesn't take it and she sees that the PRINCE COMES INTO HER ROOM AT MIDNIGHT AND WATCHES HER. AND THEN HE BEGINS TO STROKE HER HAIR. I'm sorry. But WTF! She is obviously not cool with this and she yells at him. And he tells her that he's fallen in love with her, and instead of being creeped out, SHE STAYS AND KISSES HIM. And I kid you not the next line after this was "Now they were officially in love." LIKE WTF!
Ok, now if that's not screwed up enough, she accidentally plucks a feather from under his arm and apparently that's the breath of life. So when she plucks it, he dies. And because she was so in love with this prince dude, she is sooooooo upset, she asks to become a slave. Because she feels so terrible. I'm sorry but wtf. She becomes a slave three times just so she can find a new feather that could be the breath of life and when she finally finds it, she takes it back to the prince and gives it to him and he wakes up and is alive once again. And there's all this happy love writing and the final line is: "Life hangs from so slender a thread. Life is but a sigh" THIS ENTIRE BOOK IS SET UP FOR THAT ONE, very stupid, LINE. Are you kidding me??? I read that shit, wasted my time, for that measly ending? WOW! Great!!!!!

There are probably other problems with this book that I cannot point out because I'm so done with it, but if I could give something a zero out of five I totally would do exactly this.


I'm really sorry for ranting, usually I'm much more put together, but this book really bugged me. I don't recommend this to any person that reads.

[Alberto Martín de Hijas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un cuento de hadas ilustrado. Está bien, pero no llega a la altura de los trabajos de Satrapi en cómic.

[Federica · Rating 4 out of 5]

"La vita non è che un sospiro."
Marjane Satrapi, l'autrice di Persepolis, che si dà al racconto fiabesco, ma con il suo solito stile personalissimo... e forse in quest'opera più che in altre c'è il riflesso della sua persona: nata in Iran, diventata adulta in Francia. Così questa fiaba ricorda per molti versi quelle europee, ma con tinte e risvolti a La mille e una notte.
Mondo distanti che si incontrano anche in una semplice fiaba, adoro la Satrapi anche per questo.

[Mariota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primer cómic / libro que leo de esta autora. El Suspiro es un cuento, parece ser que es una recopilación de varios cuentos / historias de su país. La historia me ha gustado. Trata de un comerciante con tres hijas y la historia se centra en una de ellas, la más pequeña. Los dibujos son básicos pero me han gustado mucho, mucho colorido.

[Meepelous · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not having read the original fairy tail - I don't think anyway - I feel a little ham-stringed but I really want to get back in the swing of reviewing things, so here goes!

Disclaimer: Do not pick up this book if you are expecting everything Satrapi does to resemble Persepolis, The Sigh is a completely different story and you may be sourly disappointed.

Unlike some of Satrapi's other works, The Sigh is an all ages illustrated traditional fairy tale. The key word here being traditional. Heads up, some parts of this book are not, as the old white guys on the street like to call it, politically correct. People get beheaded, there's a creepy guy who watches a girl as she sleeps, a woman sells herself into slavery and so much more! Reading Satrapi in general, but even more so The Sigh specifically, has forced me to reconsider a lot of my opinions about violence as entertainment - especially in all ages literature.

While this book does tend to rub a lot of people's modern sensibilities (including myself) the wrong way, to completely dismiss it is to completely miss the place where Satrapi is coming from, which is from a traditional space - not reinventing the wheel, but pushing it forward in her own ways. Subverting traditional stereotypes in a way to prick at the establishment.

As someone who has read quite a few children's classics, I have to say there were a number of things about this story that really stood out to me. Firstly, the main character is a very stand-alone female character who gets to go on adventures, makes mistakes, and gets to correct those mistakes - creating a happily ever after for her and her prince.

The second thing that really stood out to me (as it does with so much of Satrapi's work) is the effortlessly way in which she brings racial diversity to the table. Even with many of the supposedly traditional Arabian stories I've listened to this year, they all have come to me through the lens of British imperialism. The "exotic" "barbarian" flavor is enough to turn one's stomach. The Sigh, on the other hand, is written by someone from these far off locals, and unsurprisingly, it is populated by people just like everyone over here in the cultural west. I really should resist saying "I told you so" but this is one of my key reasons for focusing on diverse reads.

The artwork in The Sigh does feel a bit childish from time to time, but it is a children's book. It's certainly more than a little interesting to see Satrapi work in colours. I certainly wouldn't have minded if she had gone in a more traditional graphic novel direction, but I get the impression that this was really a chance for her to experiment with a lot of new things.

Overall I feel like I would most highly recommend this to people who read a lot of traditional fairy tales. These are the kinds of people that will pick up on the subtle changes of emphasis that Satrapi is employing.

[Jackie B. - Death by Tsundoku · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sigh tells the story of Rose, the youngest daughter of a merchant who promises to bring his daughter's heart's desires upon returning from his travels. When he returns, he was unable to being the seed of a blue bean that Rose requested. In her disappointment, she lets out a deep sign which summons Ah the Sigh from the Kingdom of Sighs. Ah offers Rose's father the gift. He accepts, offering anything in return. We can see where this is going...

As we can expect, Ah returns in a year and requests Rose. From this point forward, can you guess the plot? What seems like a standard fairy tale quickly veers from the traditional. Instead of allowing herself to be held hostage to her situation and the new Kingdom Rose lives in, she chooses to take control of her own destiny.

Now as I am not familiar with this original story, I cannot say if Satrapi put her own twist on any of the written story elements. But, as with her other works, she provides beautiful illustrations. In beautiful color, Satrapi provides a cultural backdrop to her story without adding too much detail.

Fantastic in the literal way, this fairy tale is one you'll want to add to your collection. It's a quick read and a breath of fresh air.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rose is the youngest of three daughters of a merchant who brings back presents for his daughters when he goes on his business trips. Except the one time when Rose asks him for a blue bean, he returns empty handed. And then there is a knock on the door. A strange spirit-like creature called Ah has the blue bean. From there, Rose will go on a journey that will take in a magical kingdom, a kidnapped prince, a dragon, a Bandit Queen, and true love...

Marjane Satrapi's latest book isn't a comic book per se, it's a fairy tale with blocks of text accompanied by colourful illustrations by Satrapi. If you've read Douglas Coupland's "Highly Inappropriate Tales for Young People", it's exactly the same format. The book is a short 54 page read, well produced in a hardback with a silver-bordered cover design and high quality paper.

The story is aimed at younger readers who will appreciate the fantasy elements to the stories the best. It's a charming ramble through a strange land with interesting characters that a parent and child would enjoy, but for myself I would say it's an ok story at best. Her best work remains "Persepolis" which I highly recommend if you've not already read it.

[Wendy B. ☃️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marjane è sempre Marjane! Le recensioni poco entusiaste mi avevano fatto dubitare di questa lettura che invece, pur nella sua brevità e semplicità, risulta essere godibilissima e affascinante. L'autrice ci trasporta, attraverso le parole e i disegni (questa volta a colori!), nell'universo di una fiaba persiana con protagonisti mercanti, regni incantati, principi, personaggi malvagi e prigionieri. E' una storia che ha il pregio di mantenere alta la concentrazione del lettore perché gli eventi prendono di volta in volta una piega inaspettata. Mi ha ricordato Favole persiane della stessa autrice, che pure avevo apprezzato.

[Lauren K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought I’d read a Teen/Adult “picture book” aka graphic novel. What a marvelous story, so cleverly written. The meaning hit me right in the feels. Everyone should read this, it brings to mind what is important in life.

[Heidi Holtan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tekst på hver side er rammet inn av blomster. Det synes jeg alle bøker burde ha. Dette er en kort eventyrfortelling på litt over 50 sider med enkle illustrasjoner. Godt fortalt i eventyr stil. Boka ga meg ikke så mye.

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Sigh is a fairy tale about the youngest of three daughters. It starts similarly to Beauty and the Beast, and then moves to another fairy tale type--where the wife accidentally does something to her husband when she shouldn't (exposed him to light when she was warned not too, takes something magical away from him, etc.) and then has to save him/bring him back to life (there are several of these tale types).

I liked the fairy tale well enough, though it was a bit predictable. But I was primarily reading this for the artwork, and though I loved Persepolis, the artwork in The Sigh disappointed me. The three sisters are drawn in stereotypical ways--the "ugly" eldest as a brunette, the cold, sickly middle sister as a thin blonde, the youngest heroine as a redhead. And I'm sorry, The Sigh, the genie character in the fairy tale, looks like poo. I couldn't get over it! I was hoping for more interesting artwork from her.

[Faa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you read Marjane's Persepolis 1 & 2, The Sigh might be a bit disappointment for you. The plot and the drawings are definitely not the same as those 2 previous books. The Sigh is a leisure reading, for those who need a break from heavy reading and any reader can finish the whole book in one day. The Sigh narrated on the power of love, loyalty, patience and kindness. From my point of view as a reader, The Sigh is another escapism from those thick books on my reading shelf, waiting dearly for me to read them. I like the simple story in it, but after reading the book, I am still not fully satisfy. Perhaps I am being biased; and steadfastly put my loyalty to both Persepolis 1 & 2.

[Hans · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) I always enjoy Marjane Satrapi's voice, constructed from her drawings and her words. In the other books that I have read, the drawings are the force that propels the story. This is the first book that has the feeling of a story that she illustrated. More to the point, the drawings don't seem to have an even pacing throughout the book. Towards the end, the drawings are less frequent and smaller, as if she discovered that the book was going to be a lot longer than intended if she didn't get a lot of text out of the way. (Though don't get me wrong, the book is still beautifully constructed and the story is still entertaining.) Enjoyable, but I prefer many of her other works.

[Gassy Traoré · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Although it is far from the splendid full edition of Persepolis. I had the pleasure to hear once more Marjane's voice but in a different context. It is a beautiful metaphoric folktales on life and humanity. However, I believe that in its original language it'd be much better. I'll also read it in French! It is magical and enchanting for children but really does teach important lessons to adults. The cover is a beauty. Everytime, I took it out somewhere to read a page or two, people would stare at it. Those who knew me, would ask me about the book.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not my favorite Satrapi, but it's interesting enough to keep me reading.
Only read this if you have an open mind; if you expect it to be like Persepolis, you will be disappointed. Also, only read this if you enjoy fairy tales and won't take offense at the seeming misogyny. The story is a retelling of a well-known tale and is not meant to be taken as a reflection of Satrapi's sociopolitical views by any means.

[Marilyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

A familiar story which could have been interesting if presented more critically, more subversively, but unfortunately it was just... misogynist. The villains were all women, with stereotypical motives and offenses. The only viable reward for a woman's good behavior was marriage. The main character's arc was driven by men - men's decisions and men's well-being. Very disappointing.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little weird, but perfectly compatible with current trends in fairy tales. I wonder if anyone will throw a fit about the prince's nighstalking ways, or if Satrapi is too much cooler than Stephenie Meyer to get the criticism.

[Katharina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm trying to appreciate this for the fairy tale it is, but.... could we do it with a little less selling-women-as-slaves and fathers and husbands fighting over who owns a daughter?
There were beautiful elements to this story, no doubt, but I expected more/something else from Satrapi.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Persian fairy tale illustrated by the wonderful Marjane Satrapi. Mysterious--maybe a bit creepy--and dreamlike with a young woman protagonist who takes action, plus a romantic ending.

[Sayantan Ghosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fable for kids, meant as much for the grown-ups.

[Simón Vásquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

´La vida es tan poca cosa, no es màs que un suspiro...`

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marjane in tutte le salse. Per grandi o piccini. Sempre Marji <3

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty short book compared to her other book. But it was cute.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story about the importance of love and how fleeting life can be.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the past year, I've been exploring the graphic novels of Iranian - French author, Marjane Satrapi. The 1st three books I enjoyed have all been non - fiction, dealing with her life, a story about an uncle and also the plight and battle for freedom of women in Iran. The Sigh, originally published in 2011, is quite different, being a short and sweet fairy tale.

The Sigh tells the story of 3 sisters, focusing on the youngest, Rose. The sisters live with their widowed father, a travelling businessman. On one trip, each daughter tells him what to buy them as gifts; a dress for the oldest, Orchid, a merino shawl for Violet and the seed of a blue bean for Rose. Unfortunately, father is only able to find the 1st two gifts on his travels.

Rose is disappointed and sighs, bringing to the home, Ah the Sigh, a sort of spirit. He provides the father with a blue bean seed but makes him promise that at some time he must grant wish to The Sigh. A year later, Ah the Sigh returns with his demand... that being that father must give up Rose to the being. After much argument, Rose says she'll go and off they ride into the night.

The rest of this short story details Rose's life in the distant land where she falls in love with Ah's master, the Prince of Sighs and the tragedy that befalls the Prince and then Rose's efforts to save him.

It's a lovely story. Rose is a strong, wonderful character, with great wisdom and sensibility. The story is short and lovingly written and illustrated and was most enjoyable to read. I've enjoyed my exposure to Marjane's stories very much. I will keep exploring. (4.0 stars)