Art Spiegelman discusses Maus & MetaMaus - BBC News
TLDRIn an interview at a London comic bookstore, Art Spiegelman discusses the 25th anniversary of 'Maus,' his groundbreaking graphic novel depicting his Jewish parents' Holocaust survival as mice and cats. He reflects on the challenges of turning personal memories and broken English into a compelling narrative, the initial rejections due to the controversial animal portrayal, and the importance of storytelling in preserving history and humanizing victims. 'Meta Maus,' a book and DVD, offers insights into the creation process, including sketches, drafts, and original audio recordings with his father.
Takeaways
- 📚 Art Spiegelman's 'Maus' was a groundbreaking work that depicted the Holocaust through the allegory of mice representing Jews and cats representing Nazis.
- 🎨 'Meta Maus' is a follow-up book and DVD that delves into the creation of 'Maus', including sketches, drafts, and original audio recordings with Spiegelman's father.
- 🕰 The first part of 'Maus' was published 25 years ago, and despite the passage of time, its impact and relevance continue to be discussed.
- 🤔 Spiegelman initially resisted creating 'Meta Maus', feeling the need to move on from the success and impact of 'Maus'.
- 💌 The script mentions rejection letters from publishers who found the idea of portraying Jews as mice to be improper.
- 🎭 At the time 'Maus' was created, being a comic book artist was not considered a serious profession, and the Holocaust was not a mainstream subject.
- 🐭 The choice of mice and rats was a deliberate one, to challenge Nazi rhetoric and assert the humanity of the victims.
- 📝 Spiegelman's father was a collaborator in the creation of 'Maus', providing firsthand accounts and experiences.
- 📖 'Meta Maus' was written to address questions and misconceptions about the work, aiming to provide clarity on Spiegelman's intentions and the story's significance.
- 🎨 The process of turning personal memories and broken English into a comic book was a complex and lengthy endeavor, taking 13 years to complete.
- 👨👦 The story of 'Maus' is not only about the Holocaust but also about the relationship between a survivor and his son, exploring the transmission of memories and the impact of the past.
Q & A
What was the unique aspect of Art Spiegelman's 'Maus' that shocked many readers?
-The unique and shocking aspect of 'Maus' was that it portrayed the Jews as mice and the Germans as cats, using animals to represent human characters in the story of the Holocaust.
What does 'Meta Maus' include that provides insight into the creation of 'Maus'?
-'Meta Maus' includes thousands of sketches and drafts, as well as original audio recordings of conversations with Spiegelman's father, which served as the raw material for the story.
Why did Art Spiegelman initially resist the idea of creating 'Meta Maus'?
-Art Spiegelman initially resisted creating 'Meta Maus' because he had been trying to outrun the success and impact of 'Maus', which was more successful than he had anticipated.
What was one of the reasons for the rejection of 'Maus' by publishers mentioned in 'Meta Maus'?
-One of the reasons for rejection was that publishers thought the idea of conceiving Jews as mice was improper.
Why was being a comic book artist considered a dubious profession when 'Maus' was being made?
-Being a comic book artist was considered dubious because the profession was not recognized as serious, and the only associations people had were with superhero comics, not serious storytelling.
How did Art Spiegelman use the animal metaphor in 'Maus' to challenge Nazi rhetoric?
-Spiegelman used the animal metaphor to turn the Nazi notion of subhuman Jews, often depicted as rats, back on itself, by showing them as mice standing on their hind legs and insisting on their humanity.
What was the significance of the choice of mice and rats in 'Maus' for Spiegelman?
-The choice of mice and rats was significant because it was a way to challenge the dehumanizing Nazi propaganda and to represent the struggle for recognition of Jewish humanity.
How did the personal experiences and broken English of Spiegelman's father influence the creation of 'Maus'?
-The personal experiences and broken English of Spiegelman's father provided raw, authentic material that had to be transformed into a compelling comic book narrative.
What was Art Spiegelman's initial goal when he started working on 'Maus'?
-Spiegelman's initial goal was to create a long comic book that was worth telling and worth reading, something more substantial than a quick read that could be forgotten.
Why did Art Spiegelman decide to include himself as a character in 'Maus'?
-Spiegelman included himself as a character to serve as an objective lens, allowing him to look at the story of his father's survival as if it could be told from a distance.
What was Art Spiegelman's expectation for the audience of 'Maus'?
-Spiegelman did not expect a large audience for 'Maus' and initially thought it would be read by only a few thousand people, publishing it through his avant-garde graphics magazine, 'Raw'.
Outlines
📚 Art Spiegelman's 'Meta Maus' - The Journey Behind 'Maus'
Art Spiegelman discusses the creation and impact of his graphic novel 'Maus,' which depicts the Holocaust through the metaphor of mice representing Jews and cats representing Nazis. The discussion revolves around the release of 'Meta Maus,' a book and DVD set that provides an in-depth look at the making of 'Maus,' including sketches, drafts, and original audio recordings with Spiegelman's father. The conversation touches on the challenges of creating a serious work within the comic book medium, the initial rejections 'Maus' faced, and the broader implications of using animals to represent real-life atrocities. Spiegelman reflects on the significance of the story, both as a historical account and a personal narrative, and the difficulty of translating his father's broken English and memories into a compelling comic book format.
🎨 The Artistic Vision and Impact of 'Maus'
In this segment, Art Spiegelman elaborates on his artistic intentions for 'Maus,' aiming to create a long-form comic that would be memorable and impactful. He shares his initial thoughts on reaching a wider audience and the unexpected success of the book. Spiegelman also addresses the personal connection to the story, as it intertwines the experiences of a Holocaust survivor with the challenges faced by the survivor's child. The summary highlights the importance of telling a compelling story and the evolution of the comic book medium from a niche interest to a recognized form of serious art. Additionally, it touches on the difficulty of conveying memories and the artistic choices made during the 13-year creation process of 'Maus.'
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Art Spiegelman
💡Maus
💡Meta Maus
💡Holocaust
Highlights
25 years ago, Art Spiegelman published 'Maus', a comic book telling the story of his Jewish parents' survival during the Nazi Holocaust in Poland.
Six years later, Spiegelman published a second volume of 'Maus', detailing their time in Auschwitz.
The book was unique and controversial for portraying Jews as mice and Germans as cats.
Spiegelman has now published 'Meta Maus', a book and DVD about the creation of 'Maus', including sketches, drafts, and original audio recordings with his father.
Despite the success of 'Maus', Spiegelman initially resisted making 'Meta Maus', feeling it was time to move on from the project.
Some publishers rejected the original 'Maus' due to its portrayal of Jews as mice, considering it improper.
Being a comic book artist was not a respected profession when 'Maus' was created, with mainstream recognition of serious comics as an art form only emerging later.
The Holocaust was not a widely recognized or discussed subject in popular culture at the time 'Maus' was made.
Spiegelman chose mice and rats as the animal representations in 'Maus' to subvert Nazi propaganda and reclaim humanity.
Spiegelman's father was a collaborator on 'Maus', providing firsthand accounts and experiences that shaped the narrative.
The process of turning personal memories and broken English into a comic book was challenging and took 13 years to complete.
Spiegelman aimed to create a long, memorable comic book that would be more than just escapist entertainment.
He never expected 'Maus' to have a large audience or to be read by more than a few thousand people.
Spiegelman's goal was to tell a story worth telling, particularly one that was not well-told at the time.
'Maus' is not just a Holocaust survivor's story, but also the story of the survivor's child coming to terms with their parents' experiences.
Spiegelman used himself as an objective lens in the narrative, framing the story as a father telling a bedtime story to a child.
Transcripts
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