Art Spiegelman tells the story of Auschwitz survivor Wladek in his graphic novel . The character is based on Spiegelmann’s father, and the narrative setting – the father telling his son about the Holocaust and his memories of it – also bears strong autobiographical traits.
In total, two volumes have been published: “Mein Vater kotzt Geschichte aus” and “Und hier begann mein Unglück”.
The blurb says of Spiegelman’s narrative style:
“Art Spiegelman has recorded this story by putting the unspeakable into the mouths of animals: The Jews are mice, the Germans are cats.”
Art Spiegelman 1989: Mouse. The story of a survivor. Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer.
If you don’t have a bookstore worth supporting near you, you can also buy the book from the alternative non-profit online bookstore links-lesen.de, which supports political projects with the profits. The link to the book can be found here.