THE MAN WITHOUT TALENT - YOSHIHARU TSUGE

Yet another spur-of-the-moment library grab. This one comes with an effusive back quote from none other than Chris Ware, and I’m always interested in getting more into Japanese comics. I knew nothing about Tsuge and because of the “reverse” layout of translated Japanese comics, the essay about it was at the end. At first I thought the story was about some sad asshole, like many Ware books, though the main character in this is a bit meaner than most Ware protagonists. The main character is poor, disreputable and overwhelmed by life. He attempts of sell rocks that he finds on the riverbank on the riverbank itself. Several characters point out that people won’t by rocks they can find on the ground for free which does seem to be true. They guy goes through a number of other schemes to get rich all the while disappointing his wife and child. He mentions comics throughout the story so at first it was hard for me to tell if this was supposed to be autobiographical. The essay at the end places the comic within the tradition of Shishōsetsu, which means I-novel and are indeed autobiographical comics, typically about sad men who lead quiet lives. It reminded me of the American Splendor stuff. Tsuge does apparently share biographic details with the character in this story, though he himself did not sell rocks on the riverbank. It’s also interesting that he has a family and kids, which gives his struggles another edge. Despite how rough things get, he doesn’t seem to take the idea of abandoning them very seriously. There’s also lots of interesting tension between the modern world and different characters’ ideas about Japan. We get some cool digressions about haiku artists. I’m glad I read this, it’s a bit baffling to me that someone’s primary interests in comics would revolve around sad mean drifting through life, but to each their own, I suppose. 87 stones