Books: Maus: A Survivor's Tale

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Maus: A Survivor's Tale
By Art Spiegelman
1991





Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

There's a bit in Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's Extras when Kate Winslet makes a crack about how if you want to win some awards you need to make something about the Holocaust. Judging from the accolades heaped upon Maus (the only comic to win a Pulitzer no less) I have a feeling she may be right... Not that it doesn't deserve it. This is one of the most powerful and moving comic books out there: a warts and all account of the wartime life of the author's father, Vladek Spiegelman ("Ach!"), a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. Yes - it's got lots of interesting details: the Jews depicted as mice and the Germans as cats. etc. But re-reading it I was struck by how the core of the book doesn't lie in the accounts of life in the concentration camps (as harrowing and well written as they are) - but in the character of the writer's father and his relationship with his son. The way his dad's large personality radiates from every page - with his disjointed English ("I don't want you should write this in your book."), frugal ways with his finances and offhand way with dealing with all those close to him - shaped no doubt by the experiences he relates is for me the main reason to read this book. It's not just a history lesson - it also gives a unique and beautiful insight into the dynamics between a father and son and the way that each human is a world unto themselves. Oh - and just to warn you: the whole thing is pretty depressing. So keep the tissues handy.

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Links: Philip Pullman Guardian Review, The Inside Story Review, Things Mean A Lot Review, The Hooded Utilitarian Article: Gluey Tart: Takes on Maus, New York Review of Books Interview Part 1 / Part 2.

Further reading: Persepolis, Breakdowns, The Photographer, Blankets, Palestine, Alan's War, The Tale of One Bad Rat, Habibi, City of Glass, Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth, Asterios Polyp.

All comments welcome.