A Drifting Life Paperback – 25 Jun. 2009

Arrived on time and exactly as described. Thank you.

Over 800 pages, this is an epic masterpiece. It's such an intimate window into the authors life you almost feel like you are impeding privacy by reading. One japan's most influentisl artists, he's unafraid to show his raw emotion vulnerabilities. It's special to witness the beggining of a movement which was born out of passion not capitalism and to see how humble life was just to create. This is part biographical and part historical. An astonishing glimpse into a genius life. A loving masterpiece

I found A Drifting Life in my local library and I was instantly fascinated by it. I've read many biographies and memoirs of creators of American comics and accounts of the birth of American comic books in the 1930s and 1940s. I know very little about Japan and manga. Tatsumi captivated me with his story of his love of manga from his childhood through his development as a professional cartoonist, writer, and editor. It's hugely interesting to read about the world of comics and their artists in a culture that is vastly different from America.I was enchanted by Tatsumi's masterly use of seemingly simple yet deeply revealing art and by the narrator's passion expressed from the beginning of his secondary school years at the start of the book; Tatsumi''s love of comics both as reader and creator shines through. As a teenager I was moved by the dedication and devotion to the medium of comics in Steranko's History of Comics, Jules Feiffer 's The Great Comic Book Heroes and interviews in the Comics Journal with Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez. A Drifting Life also captures the excitement of reading comics, drawing comics, and exploring their potential to tell stories and reach new audiences. I was moved by the epilogue which says little about Tatsumi's achievements in later life (his face is drawn in shadow ) but pays tribute to his hero Osamu Tezuka. A wonderful book for not just for people who like manga, but for anyone who loves art and storytelling.

Almost 900 pages of Tatsumi's love of manga and his detailed odyssey of becoming a master of the genre.Interspersed with social, cultural and political events occurring during the years of the author development in his beloved post-war Japan. Well drawn in black and white, although simply and sparsely, the story is somehow one dimensional and drawn out, but I admit I lasted the course, even though the reading was a little boring at times.A gorgeous book to own, beautifully presented and curated with a lot of details by Drawn & Quarterly.

I loved the story of Hiroshi Katsumi (Yoshihiro Tatsumi) a school-kid artist and writer obsessed with manga. Growing up in late 1940's post-war Osaka, he and his brother Okimasa begin having work featured in Manga Shonen and other magazines of the time.Hiroshi meets his hero Osamu Tezuka and embarks on a life-long career in the manga publishing world, the book follows his journey from a young mangaka creating short pieces for compilations and longer whole-book works to becoming a seasoned editor. Yoshihiro-san was an integral part of a group contributing greatly to a more modern adult style of manga. He and his artist friends named the movement `Gekiga' (Dramatic Pictures) which was heavily influenced by international cinema and literature.This is the best translated work from Yoshihiro-san i have read. The book is a satisfying autobiography that also manages to be both part history of post-war Japan and an essay on the birth of modern manga. I just wish that some of the early works mentioned in the story were available in English translation - The Civilizing Beast (1955), The Man Smiling In The Dark (1955) and Black Snowstorm (1956) look especially intriguing.The book is a very sturdy object- a 856 page weighty tome with solid binding, quality paper and is very good value for money. Designed and lettered beautifully by Adrian Tomine and well translated by Taro Nettleton. Highly recommended. A+