At last! 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). It now appears as it was originally envisioned by the author: The Complete Maus. 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.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
MAUS is no mouse:
There aren't enough superlatives to describe this graphic novel. It's beautifully and cleverly written and illustrated. Characterization and history blend easily and realistically. MAUS really is a novel - to be read thoughtfully/carefully/even slowly. In several readings I've found new details and concepts and I'm sure this will continue to happen. Allegorical? Of course; yet I've never read a better narrative/description of the holocaust.
READ NEW GRAPIC, BUT TRUE/PRESENT HISTORY: "PALESTINE," BY JOE SACCO. A CURRENT EVENT:
Current and true atrocities going on right now A deafening silence: in Israel, is it now okay to kill Americans? (Peacemaking).(implications of recent death and injuries of peace activists in Israel): An article from: Sojourners maus is an old anti-Gentile and anti-everybody distortion of truth during WWII. maus mocks others' suffering in a cold and insensitive way. maus is dated and still very upsetting, to people who really understand it bigoted and hurtful intent. Don't waste time anymore,... more info
Graphic literature at its best:
The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale collects both volumes of Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel. The complete collection is how the book called the "first masterpiece in comic book history" is meant to be appreciated. A haunting piece of work, this story is part autobiography, part family history, and part personal and historical reflection on the Holocaust. This tale relates the effect the Holocaust had on the persons who survived it as well as their descendants. Maus tells the... more info
Yes.:
I went to a exhibition on the history of comics a couple of years ago. They had all kinds, from Little Nemo to Jack Kirby, and many things in between. One of the things featured was several pages from Art Speigelman's Maus. I was so intrigued by what I saw that I had to buy it off Amazon, and I have not regretted it. Don't be fooled by Speigelman's seemingly simplistic black and white work. His storytelling is powerful stuff, I tell you.
