Saturday 22 June 2013

Maus by Art Spiegelman



Prior to picking up Maus, the only graphic novel I have ever read was the excellent Persepolis. I've never been into superheroes or comics, so I just never tried anything from the graphic novel sections of the library or bookshop.  But I had heard enough about them to know that Maus, about Spiegelman's father's experiences of the Holocaust, is considered a classic of the genre.  It even won the Pulitzer Prize.  So when I found myself in a reading slump and in need of something new, Maus seemed like a good option.

Maus opens with Spiegelman visiting his elderly father and asking him to recount his experiences.  It soon becomes clear that the father-son relationship isn't perfect, and the wartime sections are interspersed with modern day encounters.  Spiegelman senior was a bit of a wheeler-dealer and he was able to survive the Holocaust by a combination of luck and always staying one step ahead of the game, looking out for new ways to make himself useful, to do whatever was necessary to survive.  These same skills (keeping everything because you never know when it might come in handy, wasting nothing, learning to deal with extreme situations) later form a wall between father and son and make functioning in the real world and dealing with real relationships almost impossible.  The version of Maus I read contains both book one and two.

I just loved this book, and devoured it in less than a day.  I was worried that I would find the experience of reading a graphic novel difficult, but I soon got used to the format and in fact, started to appreciate how the pictures allow a different kind of story-telling.  When Spiegelman Sr is talking about his time in Czechoslovakia before the war, the arm band that Jewish citizens had to wear enters the pictures without any mention a couple of pages in, a subtlety that wouldn't be possible in an ordinary novel.  The technique of drawing the Jews as rats and the Nazis as cats also adds impact that is only possible in a graphic novel.  Furthermore, it helps that the pictures were simple but beautifully drawn:


But above all, Maus is an excellent book because it's a powerful account of a horrible period of history and hearing about it from one person's experience humanises it for the reader.  That we get to see that survival doesn't guarantee a happy ending makes it all the more powerful. I'm so glad that I was in a restless reading mood, otherwise I might never have got to read this book.

Source: Library
First Published: 1986 (vol 1) & 1992 (vol 2)
My Edition: Penguin Books, 2003
Score: 5 out of 5

16 comments:

  1. So perfect, right? I need to re-read it, come to think of it.
    Go now, read Craig Thompson's Blankets and complete the trifecta of wonderful and accessible graphic novels!

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    1. Thanks for the recommendation, I will have to try Blankets soon!

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  2. This just went from my 'maybe take to London' pile straight into the 'London books' box. You've swung it for me. :)

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    1. Hope you love it as much as I did. And take as many books as possible to London!

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  3. I'm so glad that you liked this. It's beyond wonderful. Maus II is just as good, if not better.

    I agree with Shannon, Blankets is superb! It was my first graphic novel, it's set in my home state and it is LOVELY :)

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    1. My edition had Maus I and Maus II, and I agree that Maus II was better.

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  4. I've been wanting to read this one for a while...need to just go ahead and order it! I kinda like the graphic novel format too...just a little something different, but it's so cool to have the pictures again...for adults :)

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    1. I got it from the library but I wish I had bought it instead as its a lovely book, one I'm sure I'll want to revisit in the future.

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  5. I also read this because Birdy recommended it to me as she is a fan of graphic novels. And like you, the only other one I have read is Persepolis. This one was good, I agree.

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    1. My husband has recommended Watchmen and everyone here has recommended Blankets, so those are the two I'm going to try next. And maybe French Milk.

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  6. Amazing book, Maus. I saw an incredible exhibition of it in the Adelaide Migration Museum years ago that was travelling - all the original drawings, framed and hung in order...amazing.

    One of my English students (when I was tutoring) did it last year as part of his extension reading, and it was really interesting to revisit it with a high school student who'd had no real experience of Holocaust literature but was an avid fan of the graphic novel. He went on from Maus to read other Holocaust literature that he may not have done otherwise...

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  7. This is such a good book and I was so glad I was able to teach it to my U.S. History kids this year. It was a great bridge as we talked about the horrors of the Holocaust.

    If you're ever interested in learning more about the book-the inspiration, the drawing process, etc-I highly recommend Metamaus. It has interviews with the author, etc. It's awesome!

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  8. If you end up liking graphic novels, I can't recommend the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman enough. His novels only hint at the magic he is able to create in the graphic novels. It takes me some time to switch into the mode for reading a graphic novel, but those are amazing. (If you can track down Absolute Sandman, the art is even more incredible.)

    Another series I've been reading is Locke and Key.

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  9. Maus is just super awesome! I'm hoping to reread it sometime soon.

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  10. Maus really blew me away. I had no idea a graphic novel could pack such a punch. I just picked up Persepolis at a library sale and never heard of Blankets! Off to the library....

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  11. I was surprised by how powerful this book is, especially given the graphic novel format and the animal symbolism. Great review!

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