Maus
A graphic novel depicting the Holocaust with Jews as mice and Nazis as cats, framed by the author's.
The Verdict
The book that proved comics could carry the weight of the century's worst event — and won a Pulitzer doing it. Art Spiegelman renders his father's survival of Auschwitz with Jews as mice and Germans as cats, a device that sounds glib and proves the opposite: it lets the unbearable be looked at directly. Equally, it is the story of a difficult son interviewing a difficult father, so the Holocaust arrives wrapped in the awkward, wounded love of the second generation. Unlike anything else in the literature.
Who Should Read It
Read it if you want
- A uniquely accessible way into the Holocaust
- Readers interested in memory and the second generation
- Anyone who thinks comics can't be serious literature
- A survivor's story and a family story at once
Look elsewhere if you want
- Conventional prose narrative
- Broad historical overview
- Readers uneasy with the animal metaphor (give it a chance)
Why We Rated It 4.8
Historical Context
Maus tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, the author's father, a Polish Jew who survived Auschwitz, framed by Art's fraught relationship with him in 1970s–80s New York. Serialised from 1980, collected in two volumes (1986 and 1991); the complete work received a special Pulitzer Prize in 1992.
Criticisms & Debates
Its stature is secure; debate tends to concern the animal-nationality device and, more recently, its removal from some US school curricula, which prompted widespread defence of the book. None of this touches its standing as a masterpiece.
Events Covered
Editions & Reading Notes
Read It Alongside
Collector's Corner
Where to Buy
ISBN: 978-0679748403
Other Books About the Same Events
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why are the characters animals in Maus?
- Spiegelman draws Jews as mice, Germans as cats, and others as further animals — a device that distances the horror just enough to let readers confront it, while echoing Nazi dehumanising propaganda.
- Should I buy both volumes separately?
- Buy The Complete Maus, which collects both parts in a single volume.
- Is Maus suitable for students?
- It is widely taught and regarded as an excellent teaching text, though it contains mature themes; recent attempts to remove it from curricula drew strong criticism.