His welding of Jewish mysticism into 1940s America is particularly fresh and well researched, with Kavalier’s escape from Prague involving a Golem straight out of Jewish folklore. Chabon’s exploration of the period and the ‘amazing’ lives of his characters, feels new and historical at the same time. This twenty-first century perspective on the past brings with it a variety of touches that might never have been dwelt on by a contemporary novelist of the time. This decision enables Chabon to explore the difficult world of the creative artist (writer and/or illustrator) as they try to make a living from their work in the war-torn world of the mid twentieth century. Right from the title, Michael Chabon’s episodic story of these two comic book creators flips the traditional narrative, focusing on the two creatives behind the comic book storyline rather than the comic book itself. Together, they create ‘The Escapist’, a Nazi fighting Superhero who journeys across the world to fight for the oppressed. Forced to live together in a small New York apartment, two young men, Samuel Clay and Joseph Kavalier bond over their shared interest in comic books and cartoon art. Illustration ©2018 Chris Samnee from The Folio Society edition of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
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