Pollo con ciruelas

by Marjane Satrapi
translated by Manel Domínguez

One day in November 1958 Nasser Ali Khan decides that life isn’t worth living.

What could have been as depressing as that far away day, turned out to be a warm, often humorous and even uplifting work of art. The story of Nasser Ali’s mother could have been written by García Márquez; the one with guest appearance (and disappearance) of Azrael, by Borges; altogether, utterly original graphic novel from the author of Persepolis as well as one of the most touching love stories I’ve ever read.

And what the titular chicken with plums has got to do with Sophia Loren? I’m not telling you.

After buying himself a new tar, Nasser Ali Khan quotes from Omar Khayyam: Los astros no han ganado nada con mi presencia aquí Y su gloria no aumentará cuando yo desaparezca. Y pongo a mis dos orejas por testigo de que jamás nadie ha podido decirme Por qué me han hecho venir y por qué me harán partir. This is how it appears in the original French edition, Poulet aux prunes: Les astres à ma présence ici‐bas n’ont rien gagné, Leur gloire à ma déchéance ne sera pas augmentée; Et, témoin mes deux oreilles, nul n’a jamais pu me dire Pourquoi l’On m’a fait venir et l’On me fait m’en aller. The Persian verse is here: از آمدنم نبود گردون را سود وز رفتن من جاه و جلالش نفزود وز هیچ کسی نیز دو گوشم نشنود کاین آمدن و رفتنم از بهر چه بود In English: My coming brought no profit to the sky, Nor does my going swell its glory; My two ears have never heard anyone that could say, Why I came here and why I will go away. And in Russian: Приход мой небу славы не доставил, И мой уход величья не прибавил. Мне так и не дано постичь, зачем Я в мир пришел, зачем его оставил.

More English and Russian translations here.