When Maus was released in 1986, it
was a big hit. The work became critically acclaimed and garnered huge
attention, success, and even some anxiety for its author, Art Spiegelman. As Spiegelman
himself stated in a 2011 interview with The Observer “Maus has entered the
culture in ways I never could have predicted.”[1]
Ironically however, Spiegelman
reveals in his newest work titled Metamaus (a behind the scenes look into the
making of Maus) that he initially encountered hurdles in trying to get the book
published. In fact, in Metamaus he even posts some of the rejection letters
left to him by his agent from some of the publishers. Among the comments
include “…the idea behind it is brilliant, but it never, for me, quite gets on
track," or my personal favorite “…in part, my passing has to do with the
natural nervousness one has in publishing something so very new and possibly
(to some people) off-putting. But more crucially I don't think Maus is a completely successful
work, in that it seems in some way conventional."[2]
It is an interesting contrast to the way in which the book was received.
Bookstores and publishers initially just had no idea on how to advance the book
into stores. Comics were already being published and many publishers just could
not take on another one.
Eventually however, it was
accepted by Pantheon. The book is a New York Times bestseller. It has been
translated into 18 languages and Maus II even won a Pulitzer Prize. It is the
only comic to ever win the prestigious award. In 1987 it one of a trinity of comic
books released that really brought the term “graphic novel” into the
mainstream; the other two being Watchmen
by Alan Moore and The Dark Knight
Returns by Frank Miller. Other awards and accolades it received were:
1.
The Comics Journal called it the fourth greatest
comics’ work of the 20th Century.
2.
Wizard Magazine placed it at #1 / 100 of
Greatest Graphic Novels.
3.
Entertainment Weekly listed it as #7 on the NEW
CLASSICS: Books – The 100 Best Reads from
1983 to 2008 List.
4.
Time Magazine placed it at #7 on the Best
Non-Fiction Books from 1923 to 2005 list.
5.
Time Magazine placed it at #4 on their Top Graphic
Novels List.
6.
Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album – Reprint
7.
Los Angeles Times Award – Book Prize for Fiction[3]
This
landmark work did much more than just giving a first person view into a major
event in human history. It also opened up the comic genre for other writers.
Comics no longer had to be a medium just for kids. Maus added to a tradition of
Holocaust literature in a very unconventional way. The graphic novel format was
original, and it visualized the subject matter in a method that made it profoundly
surreal. Audiences, critics, and scholars applauded its daring approach and its
ability to so vividly capture the events recounted by Spiegelman’s father,
Vladek. [4]
As a result, the work is and will always be timeless.
By Manu Gopinath
By Manu Gopinath
[1] Cooke,
Rachel. "Art Spiegelman: 'Auschwitz Became for Us a Safe Place'" The
Observer. Guardian News and Media Limited, 23 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/oct/23/art-spiegelman-maus-25th-anniversary>.
[2] Cooke,
Rachel. "Art Spiegelman: 'Auschwitz Became for Us a Safe Place'" The
Observer. Guardian News and Media Limited, 23 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/oct/23/art-spiegelman-maus-25th-anniversary>.
[3] "Maus."
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maus>.
[4] "Art
Spiegelman Criticism." Enotes (2004): n. pag. Web.
<http://www.enotes.com/art-spiegelman-criticism/spiegelman-art>.
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