Art Spiegelman

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Maus

Combined here are Maus I: A Survivor's Tale and Maus II - the complete story of Vladek Spiegelman and his wife, living and surviving in Hitler's Europe. By addressing the Holocaust through cartoons the author captures the everyday reality of fear and the sensation of survival.

Complete Maus

The work was originally published in two volumes, in 1980 and 1991, “My Father Bleeds History” and “And Here My Troubles Began”, respectively; although the edition I read combines both into a single book. It’s challenging to rate a work like Maus, as it isn’t just a story, but a powerful testimony of Vladek Spiegelman’s experiences during the Holocaust. From the moment I began reading, I knew that reviewing the book would be a difficult task.

What drew me to this book at first, apart from the themes discussed, were the reviews and international acclaim, as it is the first and only graphic novel to ever win a Pulitzer Prize, but also the originality behind it, and how the characters aren’t depicted as humans.     In Maus, Spiegelman depicts Jews as mice, Nazis as cats, and other groups as different animals, which serves to highlight how prejudices and racism often reduced people to simple stereotypes. It is both innovative and symbolic, and although it makes it slightly difficult to distinguish between the characters at first, it goes to show how dangerous it is to look at groups instead of individuals with identities and personalities.

Although this was my first time reading a graphic novel, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The combination of black-and-white visuals and powerful storytelling created a unique and immersive experience that felt impactful to me. The simplicity of the illustrations added depth to the narrative, enhancing emotions and the complexity of the themes that are shown. 

Spiegelman illustrates how the Holocaust doesn’t end with liberation, and how it, instead, continues to shape the lives of survivors’ children. The second generation, like the author himself, inherits the emotional and psychological weight of their parents' trauma. As I read Maus, I found myself asking: Can trauma ever be fully communicated to those who didn’t experience it? How does the weight of survival affect not just those who lived through it but also their descendants? Artie perceives the Holocaust as a kind of divide between him and his father, and even confesses to his wife how he sometimes wishes he had been in Auschwitz along them; thinking that would help him have a better grasp of the depth of the experiences and effects it had on them. This intergenerational perspective is rarely explored so deeply, making Maus groundbreaking. 

Vladek’s personal experiences, including his time in labour camps, the loss of his family, and his firsthand encounters with violence and brutality, bring a deeply human perspective, as well as a human face, to these events. By portraying this progression from propaganda and laws restricting Jewish rights to what we know as the Holocaust, Maus does an excellent job when showing how prejudice can evolve into policies of discrimination and, ultimately, genocide when left unchallenged. This book doesn’t only preserve the memory of the Holocaust but also urges readers to remain cautious against similar patterns of hatred in the present.

Patricia

The work was originally published in two volumes, in 1980 and 1991, “My Father Bleeds History” and “And Here My Troubles Began”, respectively; although the edition I read combines both into a single book. It’s challenging to rate a work like Maus, as it isn’t just a story, but a powerful testimony of Vladek Spiegelman’s experiences during the Holocaust. From the moment I began reading, I knew that reviewing the book would be a difficult task.

What drew me to this book at first, apart from the themes discussed, were the reviews and international acclaim, as it is the first and only graphic novel to ever win a Pulitzer Prize, but also the originality behind it, and how the characters aren’t depicted as humans.     In Maus, Spiegelman depicts Jews as mice, Nazis as cats, and other groups as different animals, which serves to highlight how prejudices and racism often reduced people to simple stereotypes. It is both innovative and symbolic, and although it makes it slightly difficult to distinguish between the characters at first, it goes to show how dangerous it is to look at groups instead of individuals with identities and personalities.

Although this was my first time reading a graphic novel, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The combination of black-and-white visuals and powerful storytelling created a unique and immersive experience that felt impactful to me. The simplicity of the illustrations added depth to the narrative, enhancing emotions and the complexity of the themes that are shown. 

Spiegelman illustrates how the Holocaust doesn’t end with liberation, and how it, instead, continues to shape the lives of survivors’ children. The second generation, like the author himself, inherits the emotional and psychological weight of their parents' trauma. As I read Maus, I found myself asking: Can trauma ever be fully communicated to those who didn’t experience it? How does the weight of survival affect not just those who lived through it but also their descendants? Artie perceives the Holocaust as a kind of divide between him and his father, and even confesses to his wife how he sometimes wishes he had been in Auschwitz along them; thinking that would help him have a better grasp of the depth of the experiences and effects it had on them. This intergenerational perspective is rarely explored so deeply, making Maus groundbreaking. 

Vladek’s personal experiences, including his time in labour camps, the loss of his family, and his firsthand encounters with violence and brutality, bring a deeply human perspective, as well as a human face, to these events. By portraying this progression from propaganda and laws restricting Jewish rights to what we know as the Holocaust, Maus does an excellent job when showing how prejudice can evolve into policies of discrimination and, ultimately, genocide when left unchallenged. This book doesn’t only preserve the memory of the Holocaust but also urges readers to remain cautious against similar patterns of hatred in the present.

On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of its first publication, here is the definitive edition of the book acclaimed as "the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust" (Wall Street Journal) and "the first masterpiece in comic book history" (The New Yorker). The Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus tells 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.

The Complete Maus

A. D. Knapp

Just stunning. One of the best things I've ever read.

Arihant Verma

The face that Art has made comics about the process itself of making this epic graphics novel, is mind blowing. It is what keeps this graphics novel about Holocaust, humble, non presumptuous and real.

          I’ve never been a fan of graphic novels, yet somehow, I have already read three of them by the end of March in 2024.  All three I picked for prompts in a reading challenge, however, this one and it’s successor have been on my radar for years.  I read the first volume of The Umbrella Academy for a read it-watch it prompt, these two I chose for a prompt that had me seeking out banned comics.  Truthfully, how many banned comics are there (lemme go google that real quick…)?  Ok, so it turns out there are quite a few.  As a fan of history, however, this one had been lurking on the sidelines of my TBR for a while.  Thanks to one of my 2024 reading challenges, I had a legitimate reason to buy them. 

            I have seen a trend with my book choices that I am finding disconcerting.  I find myself with expectations…and frequently the books I read don’t live up to said expectations (it’s actually why I avoid reading the synopsis on the back of the book and I ESPECIALLY avoid reading other people’s reviews until I’m done with it).  Maus has been hyped for quite some time, so I was expecting this horribly evil comic.  That is not what these two volumes are…at all.  This is a poignant, lengthy conversation between a man and his father during the father’s twilight years.  While the story centers around his father’s experiences during World War II, it felt like it was more about this son trying desperately to find a way to connect with his dad. 

            His dad’s journey is terrifying and heartbreaking, but I found nothing about it that would warrant these two comics being banned or challenged.  I don’t think I will ever understand book bans.  This chronicles one man’s journey through one of the most horrific periods in human history, why in the world would anybody want this suppressed?  Spiegelman’s father retells his life prior to nazis taking over in Germany.  He went from being prosperous and having a full life, to living in absolute hell in Auschwitz.  He talks about how he watched the people he love either disappear to fade away in front of him.  These volumes don’t even really dig deeply into the pure nazi evil that took hold.  This is a man’s journey through hell, and how he somehow survived. 

            I would definitely recommend these to anyone, regardless of whether you’re a history person, or a fan of comics book, or just a fan of books in general.  It’s a great story. 

Kristen Claiborn

          I’ve never been a fan of graphic novels, yet somehow, I have already read three of them by the end of March in 2024.  All three I picked for prompts in a reading challenge, however, this one and it’s successor have been on my radar for years.  I read the first volume of The Umbrella Academy for a read it-watch it prompt, these two I chose for a prompt that had me seeking out banned comics.  Truthfully, how many banned comics are there (lemme go google that real quick…)?  Ok, so it turns out there are quite a few.  As a fan of history, however, this one had been lurking on the sidelines of my TBR for a while.  Thanks to one of my 2024 reading challenges, I had a legitimate reason to buy them. 

            I have seen a trend with my book choices that I am finding disconcerting.  I find myself with expectations…and frequently the books I read don’t live up to said expectations (it’s actually why I avoid reading the synopsis on the back of the book and I ESPECIALLY avoid reading other people’s reviews until I’m done with it).  Maus has been hyped for quite some time, so I was expecting this horribly evil comic.  That is not what these two volumes are…at all.  This is a poignant, lengthy conversation between a man and his father during the father’s twilight years.  While the story centers around his father’s experiences during World War II, it felt like it was more about this son trying desperately to find a way to connect with his dad. 

            His dad’s journey is terrifying and heartbreaking, but I found nothing about it that would warrant these two comics being banned or challenged.  I don’t think I will ever understand book bans.  This chronicles one man’s journey through one of the most horrific periods in human history, why in the world would anybody want this suppressed?  Spiegelman’s father retells his life prior to nazis taking over in Germany.  He went from being prosperous and having a full life, to living in absolute hell in Auschwitz.  He talks about how he watched the people he love either disappear to fade away in front of him.  These volumes don’t even really dig deeply into the pure nazi evil that took hold.  This is a man’s journey through hell, and how he somehow survived. 

            I would definitely recommend these to anyone, regardless of whether you’re a history person, or a fan of comics book, or just a fan of books in general.  It’s a great story. 

Hannah Yoon

at times, the detachment that comes with telling someone else’s story came through, which was jarring considering how much of the book was told directly by vladek. but spiegelman grapples with so many great questions and uses his format so awesomely. there’s so much to unpack in just a few pages. i’m glad i read this in school!

lauren amitirigala

(read in school)

at times, the detachment that comes with telling someone else’s story came through, which was jarring considering how much of the book was told directly by vladek. but spiegelman grapples with so many great questions and uses his format so awesomely. there’s so much to unpack in just a few pages. i’m glad i read this in school!

My first graphic novel, so I’m still getting used to the format. I love the illustrations, I just worry I’m not appreciating them fully. The narrative is truly heartbreaking, both in the past timeline and the current. I can’t wait to read the next one. I also specifically appreciated the change of art style to show Spiegelman’s college-age art style and processing of his mother’s death. You can really feel his grief in his illustrations. 

Emma

Marie

A very gripping narrative on two levels. Totally blew over all my expectations. And it's not even fiction.

In a comic-book-style tale of the author's parents, Vladek and Anja, Vladek survives Auschwitz, is reunited with Anja, and sires young Art

A Survivor's Tale : and Here My Troubles Began

Maus II

Melissa Palmer

Book #116 Read in 2016
Maus 2 by Art Spiegelman

This is the graphic novel sequel to Maus and picks up where that book left off. Vladek continues to tell his son Artie about his time in the concentration camps and life after the holocaust. It has forever changed Vladek. This was a good read.

Hannah Yang

Absolutely brilliant, haunting, heartbreaking, and compelling. I don't think there's anything I can contribute to the gazillion gushing reviews for Maus other than to confirm that this is a must-read for anyone and everyone. It tackles the Holocaust in a way that is at once deeply personal and also detached, with admissions of Art Spiegelman's inability to capture or truly understand what the experience was like for his parents. I think anyone who wants to understand the Holocaust needs to read this book.

Mani Mohan

Thanks to my friend Murali who recommended this gem. Never thought I'd like a comic book / graphic novel this much. I have picked up MetaMaus next to understand more about Maus / Art and the thinking behind the writing and choice of characters. My perspective about graphic novels has changed after reading this, and am looking forward to reading more.

An autobiographical and biographical cartoon in which the author explores his strained relationship with his father, an Auschwitz survivor, while also relating the story of his parent's experiences as Jews in wartime Poland, as told to him by his dad during a series of conversations they had years later in New York and Vermont.

A Survivor's Tale

Lara Engle

I've been intending to read this book since 1995. I was not disappointed. The seeming simplicity of the black and white drawings masks a depth, texture, and complexity revealed in the layers of the story. It's heartbreaking, but not defeatist.

Un survivant raconte

Maus I, Mon père saigne l'histoire

Agus Charky

god q buen libro, es tan crudo como "hermoso" chau

Rohan Uddin

A daring and highly emotional book, which follows the life of the cartoonist's father as he survives the brutality of the Nazis in Poland. Beautifully written, amazingly drawn and so much more than a Holocaust story. Just wonderful.

Zoe Stricker

poignant and brilliant...quite the homage

victoria

Wow. The best word to describe this book is shocking. The format of cartoon makes the reading a little lighter, but it's still deeply saddening to see what thousands of innocent people have been forced to go through.
 The book is fast, I read both volumes in just two hours and at all times I was trapped in the story wanting to know how the protagonist managed to escape and return to his normal life, it's a real story and I was very surprised with such dedication and willpower to survive. From here I learned so many lessons that you can't even imagine, despite containing heavy themes, this reading should be mandatory for everyone, especially in recent years that intolerance has been increasingly present around us - and that every day the internet fills up even more with ignorant people who advocate this kind of radical thinking – we need to know history so it doesn't repeat.
It's a bit of a relief to know that some people survived and were able to tell their stories and get a second chance, but it's heartbreaking to know that so many didn't survive, and contrary to what we tend to think, they weren't just numbers, they were real people, with families, stories, dreams and hopes. Although we don't know everyone's names, they will never be forgotten, their memories and lives will always be remembered.

I've never been into graphic novels or comics; that being said I've loved everything about this one.

While I've read a good deal of books about WWII, a lot of the information is widely known, but the honesty and how genuinely it feels coming from the author's father, to him, to us, it's what makes this so much better.

I loved the art, the flow, the part where the fourth wall is practically broken and the author talks about his depression and his therapist.

This is the first time where I've understood the most what war did to humanity, what Nazis did to Jews, what it was like.

It was very interesting as well, to put things into perspective, communication and news didn't spread as we're used to, and the story let's you into this feeling of not knowing.

Isabela Ospina

I've never been into graphic novels or comics; that being said I've loved everything about this one.

While I've read a good deal of books about WWII, a lot of the information is widely known, but the honesty and how genuinely it feels coming from the author's father, to him, to us, it's what makes this so much better.

I loved the art, the flow, the part where the fourth wall is practically broken and the author talks about his depression and his therapist.

This is the first time where I've understood the most what war did to humanity, what Nazis did to Jews, what it was like.

It was very interesting as well, to put things into perspective, communication and news didn't spread as we're used to, and the story let's you into this feeling of not knowing.

So glad I picked this one up.

Felipe Saldarriaga 

The power of ilustration and the comic to tell stories and keep it everlasting, that's what Art Spiegelman make with this master piece 💙

Maus is the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe, and his son, a cartoonist who tries to come to terms with his father, his father's terrifying story, and history itself. Its form, the cartoon, portrays the Nazis as cats and the Jews as mice. Moving back and forth from Poland to New York, two powerful stories are told. The first is Spiegelman's father's account of how he and his wife survived Hitler's Europe. The second is the author's tortured relationship with his aging father as they try to lead a normal life against a backdrop of history too large to pacify.

Maus I & II

Izza

I really love the story, but it's really "text heavy"

Vanya de Lang 

A beautifully illustrated, excellent retelling of the holocaust. More understandable than any that can before. A shocking and sad narrative of one man's survival and the effect on every person he comes in contact with after. A tale of survival and survivers guilt. I definitely recommend as an amazingly heart wrecking read.

Gisela Ayala 

Wow just wow. Reading this graphic novel was definitely an experience. It was so so sad but an interesting take on the Holocaust from the a survivor's perspective but told by his son.

Catelyn Evans

Heartbreaking. Confronting. Human. Important ✨

Wouter ter Keurs

De gebrekkige zinnen van de vaderverteller zijn lastig te lezen. Voor mij een fikse belemmering in het lezen. Echter de materie is hartverscheurend. De uitleg over de gaskamers brak mijn hart.

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