Title: The Complete MausAuthor: Art Spiegelman
First Published: 1973 (part I) and 1986 (part II)
No. of Pages: 295
Synopsis (from B&N): "It is the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe, and his son, a cartoonist coming to terms with his father’s story. Maus approaches the unspeakable through the diminutive. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), shocks us out of any lingering sense of familiarity and succeeds in 'drawing us closer to the bleak heart of the Holocaust' (The New York Times).
Maus is a haunting tale within a tale. Vladek’s harrowing story of survival is woven into the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father. Against the backdrop of guilt brought by survival, they stage a normal life of small arguments and unhappy visits. This astonishing retelling of our century’s grisliest news is a story of survival, not only of Vladek but of the children who survive even the survivors. Maus studies the bloody pawprints of history and tracks its meaning for all of us."
Fiction or Nonfiction: Nonfiction
Comments and Critique: I found this to be an original and innovative way to present a survivor's story. I especially liked the way the author didn't shy away from showing his or his father's faults. I was also very impressed by the amount of work that must have gone into the drawings and the way the author was able to communicate so much emotion through this medium. I've never read a comic book in my life and part of me still has doubts about whether this form of book can be literature, but if it isn't, then this book gets it pretty close.
Challenges: 999 ("Dewey's Books"); Dewey's Books Challenge; Martel-Harper Challenge; Orbis Terrarum 2 (Sweden); Spring Reading Thing 2009
4 comments:
Tammy, I read this in college and loved it. It's a beautiful read, and I think it definitely qualifies as literature.
I am reading my first ever graphic novel right now. With the books I like, graphic novels are just a natural progression, I guess. And the art is fantastic!!
I've heard great things about Maus. Will be adding it to the list!
I only started reading graphic novels this year, so it is still a really new thing for me! I did enjoy this duology, though. I am glad you did, too!
I liked this one, although I have trouble reading too much Holocaust literature. It managed to say new and original things in a creative way. I especially liked the perspective of the son trying to understand why his father is the way he is.
Post a Comment