A Drifting Life by Tatsumi Yoshihiro, edited and designed by Adrian Tomine, translated by Taro Nettleton [in Bloomsbury Review]
This 850-plus page autobiographical epic is truly a portrait of an artist as a young man, done manga style. A child of 10 in 1945 post-war Japan, Hiroshi – Tatsumi’s pseudonymous stand-in – makes manga obsessively. His regularly winning contest submissions soon bring him acclaim, even access to the legendary “grandfather of manga” Osamu Tezuka. Capturing 15 years, Life follows Hiroshi from Osaka to Tokyo, from a determined young boy who becomes one of the most influential Japanese graphic artists in history.
Readers: Adult
Published: 2009
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