"The three longest chapters [of MetaMaus] provide nuanced and richly illustrated
answers to the questions every reader has probably asked: 'Why the
Holocaust?' 'Why mice?' and 'Why comics?'" from a review by Patricia Hagen in the Star Tribune, 11/19/2011
Art Spiegelman, author of the award-winning Maus, has written a memoir that looks back at the making of Maus and elaborates on its many themes. The body of the commentary comes in the form of conversations with the professor/scholar Hillary Chute, wherein she poses a question or states an observation and Spiegelman responds. Spiegelman provides background information about himself and his Holocaust survivor parents and carefully reasoned artistic explanations for many of the decisions he made as he was working on Maus. Also, Spiegelman gave her access to his files, and the book includes many early sketches, notes, and panels as well as related material which had been published elsewhere.
Spiegelman talked to Chute about what fueled his growing interest in trying to draw and write about the Holocaust. He never had any intention of using it in his art but he found himself inevitably moving in that direction, partly as a way to try to connect to his father with whom he’d had a difficult relationship, but also because the Holocaust was what had enveloped him his whole life. When he decided to tell his father’s story he had to wrestle with the issue of making art out of Holocaust experiences. He was intent in doing so without sentimentalizing his father’s story, branding all stories by and about survivors that rely on excessive sentiment “Holokitsch.”
Some of the most interesting material is the author’s discussions about memory and accuracy. Once he knew he needed to tell this story, he needed to immerse himself in history, worrying all the time about getting it right. He had dual concerns: getting his father’s story right and also being accurate about the larger story of the Holocaust. He needed to constantly prod his father for more details and check them against historical material whenever possible. He needed to visit Auschwitz.
Much of the book is taken up with discussions about Spiegelman’s use of the comic book form to tell his family’s story and his metaphoric use of animals to represent the characters. Spiegelman discusses what was innovative and the various forms of resistance Maus received, both before publication and after. He also discusses who his influences were in the world of alternative comic book art and how the fame Maus has brought him has affected him as a person and as an artist. There is an interesting discussion of the difficulty of translating Maus into other languages and the reception Maus had in various countries.
In addition to the discussions listed above, this volume also includes ancillary material:
After Maus was published Art Spiegelman learned of an extensive Spiegelman family tree created by a second cousin, Simon Spiegelman, which is included along with a two-page narrative history of the family written by his cousin. There is also a Zylberberg family tree. Both trees are reproduced below in list form without birth and death dates which can be found on the trees reproduced in the book.
The book also includes many more family photos than in the original Maus, a transcript of Spiegelman’s interviews with his father, a short chapter that includes interviews with women who knew his mother, a chronology - 1906-2010, and an index.
MetaMaus also includes a DVD. Part I is a digitally reproduced version of the complete Maus where you can also click to hear Spiegelman’s father’s voice and see digitally reproduced versions of sketches and drafts. Part II includes some of the same ancillary material found in the paper version of MetaMaus discussed above, but also additional material which forms a digital archive: sketches and drawings by the author, a collection called Anja’s Bookshelf which includes postwar Polish pamphlets on the war and the camps, a home movie of Spiegelman’s trip to Auschwitz, and essays by Spiegelman and others written about Maus and originally published elsewhere.
For a short history of Auschwitz through photos and text, click
here.
For the earlier post on this blog of a review of Maus click
here.
Family
Author’s father’s family
Majer Szpigelman – married Zysla
Chaim Lajb Szpigelman – son of Majer and Zysla; married Fajgla Szpringer
Moszek Moshe Szpigelman – son of Chaim and Fajgla; married Chana Zysla Rajsfeld
Icek Wolf Szpigelman – son of Moszek and Chana
Hendla Szpigelman – daughter of Moszek and Chana
Maria Laja Szpigelman – daughter of Moszek and Chana
Rajza Szpigelman – daughter of Moszek and Chana
Majer Jozef Szpigelman – son of Moszek and Chana
Jakob Szymon Szpigelman – son of Moszek and Chana
Menachem Mendl Szpigelman – son of Chaim and Fajga; married Chaja Majerczik; married Chaja Sura Lauber (2nd wife)
Majer Jozef Szpigelman – son of Menachem and Chaja Majerczik
Andzua Hendla Szpigelman – daughter of Menachem and Chaja Majerczik
Berek Szpigelman – son of Menachem and Chaja Majerczik
Rywka Zysla Szpigelman – daughter of Menachem and Chaja Majerczik
Lola Szpigelman – daughter of Menachem and Chaja Majerczik
Regina Szpigelman – daughter of Menachem and Chaja Majerczik
Eliash Szpigelman – son of Menachem and Chaja Majerczik
Miloch Szpigelman – son of Menachem and Chaja Sura; married Gutcha
Pesach Szpigelman – son of Menachem and Chaja Sura
Haskel Szpigelman – son of Menachem and Chaja Sura
Majer Szpigelman – son of Chaim and Fajgla; married Ruchla Altman
Ziser Szpigelman – son of Majer and Ruchla
Mordka Hillel Szpigelman – son of Majer and Ruchla
Abram Wolf Szpigelman – son of Majer and Ruchla
Faigla Rywka Szpigelman – daughter of Majer and Ruchla
Arie Szpigelman – son of Majer and Ruchla
Zysla Szpigelman – daughter of Majer and Ruchla
Szlama Becalel Szpigelman – son of Majer and Ruchla
Jozef Henoch Szpigelman – son of Chaim and Fajgla; married Zysla Zylbersztajn
Jakob Szlama Szpigelman – son of Jozef and Zysla
Fajgla Rywka Szpigelman – daughter of Jozef and Zysla
Abram Szaja Szpigelman – son of Jozef and Zysla
Pinkus Eli Szpigelman – son of Jozef and Zysla
Frajda Rachela Szpigelman – daughter of Jozef and Zysla
Chaja Sura Szpigelman – daughter of Jozef and Zysla
Hendla Szpigelman – daughter of Jozef and Zysla
Jacheta Szpigelman – daughter of Jozef and Zysla
Mariem Szpigelman – daughter of Jozef and Zysla
Sara Szpigelman – daughter of Chaim and Fajgla; married Fajwel Kronenberg
Fela (Fajgla) Szpigelman – daughter of Sara and Fajwel
Majer (Max) Szpigelman – son of Sara and Fajwel
Burech Mordka Szpigelman – son of Sara and Fajwel
Jacheta Szpigelman – daughter of Sara and Fajwel
Chaim Lajb Szpigelman – son of Sara and Fajwel
Jakob Josef Szpigelman – son of Sara and Fajwel
Dawid Moszek Szpigelman – son of Sara and Fajwel
Chana Ruchla Szpigelman – daughter of Chaim and Fajgla; married Mendel Zygrajch
Fajgla Szpigelman – daughter of Chana and Mendel
Ajzik Szpigelman – son of Chana and Mendel
Fiszel Szpigelman – son of Chana and Mendel
Majer Szpigelman – son of Chana and Mendel
Pejsach Szpigelman – son of Chana and Mendel
Dworja Ita Szpigelman – daughter of Chana and Mendel
Chaim Lajb Szpigelman – son of Chana and Mendel
Abram Jakob Szpigelman – son of Chana and Mendel
Abram Szpigelman – son of Chaim and Fajgla; married Pesla Zylberszac; married Chaja Goldberg (2nd wife)
Izrael Szymon Szpigelman – son of Abram and Pesla
Fela (Faigla) Szpigelman – daughter of Abram and Chaja
Vladek (William) Szpigelman (Spiegelman) – son of Abram and Chaja; married Anja Zylberberg; married Mala Kurland (2nd wife)
Richieu Szpigelman – son of Vladek and Anja
Arthur Szpigelman (Spiegelman) – son of Vladek and Anja; married to Francoise; (author)
Nadja and Dasheill Spiegelman – children of Arthur and Francoise
Marcus (Mordka) Szpigelman – son of Abram and Chaja
Moses (Mojzesz) Szpigelman – son of Abram and Chaja
Mendel Szpigelman – son of Abram and Chaja
Leon (Chaim Lajb) Szpigelman – son of Abram and Chaja
Zosha (Zysla) Szpigelman – daughter of Abram and Chaja
Yadja (Jacheta) Szpigelman – daughter of Abram and Chaja
Pinek (Pejsach) Szpigelman – son of Abram and Chaja
Wolf Szpigelman – son of Chaim and Fajgla; married Sura Rywka
Max (Majer) Szpigelman – son of Wolf and Sura
Lorre (Zysla Laja) Szpigelman – daughter of Wolf and Sura
Frieda (Fajgla) Szpigelman – daughter of Wolf and Sura
Lotte (Liba) Szpigelman – daughter of Wolf and Sura
Toni (Tauba Chana) Szpigelman – daughter of Wolf and Sura
Helene (Chaja) Szpigelman – daughter of Wold and Sura
Author’s mother’s family
Heschl Karmiol – married Ruchla
Malka Karmiol – daughter of Heschl and Ruchla; married Israel Itzah Zylberberg
Herman Zylberberg – son of Malka and Israel; married Hela
Lolek Zylberberg – son of Herman and Hela; married Lonia
Rachel Zylberberg daughter of Lolek and Lonia
Laurie Zylberberg – daughter of Lolek and Lonia
Andrew Zylberberg – son of Lolek and Lona; married Cynthia
Elaine, Karen, and Allison Zylberberg – children of Andrew and Cynthia
Levek Zylberberg – son of Malka and Israel
Tosha Zylberberg – daughter of Malka and Israel; married Wolf Steinkeller
Bibi Steinkeller – daughter of Tosha and Wolf
Anja Zylberberg – daughter of Malka and Israel; married Vladek Spiegelman
Richieu – son of Anja and Vladek
Arthur – son of Anja and Vladek – married Francoise Mouly (see above); author
Josef Zylberberg – son of Malka and Israel; married to Mina
Marysia Winogron – second cousin of Anja’s (father’s were first cousins)
Leonard and David Winogron – sons of Marysia
Friends and Acquaintances
David and Ita Kracauer
Paul Pavel
Renya Ostry
Alter Mandelbaum
Blima Mandelbaum (Blanca Thurm) – Alter’s daughter
Avraham MAndelbaum – Alter’s nephew
Liba Eibschutz – Alter’s neice
Marisha Shubert
Hanka Sucher (Hanna Heron)
Places
Dabrowa, Poland
Sosnowiec, Poland
Stara Sosnowiec, Poland
Srodula, Poland
Zawiercie, Poland
Bielsko, Poland
Dachau, Poland
Lodz, Poland
Birkenau Concentration Camp
Auschwitz Concentration Camp
Ravensbruck-Malhoff Concentration Camp
Sweden
Norristown, Pa
Fort Tryon Park, NYC
Rego Park, Queens, NYC
Soho, NYC
