American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar (Paperback)

~ Harvey Pekar (Author) "MY NAME HAS BEEN A MATTER OF SOME CONCERN TO ME OVER THE YEARS....." (more)
Key Phrases: harvey pekar

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The inspiration for the award-winning movie
from HBO Films and Fine Line Features

AMERICAN SPLENDOR
The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar

Two classic comic anthologies in one volume

Stories by Harvey Pekar

Introduction by R. Crumb

Art by Kevin Brown, Gregory Budgett, Sean Carroll, Sue Cavey, R. Crumb, Gary Dumm, Val Mayerik, and Gerry Shamray

The classic collection of the comics that inspired the movie American Splendor, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival

American Splendor is the world’s first literary comic book. Cleveland native Harvey Pekar is a true American original. A V.A. hospital file clerk and comic book writer, Harvey chronicles the ordinary and mundane in stories both funny and touching. His dead-on eye for the frustrations and minutiae of the workaday world mix in a delicate balance with his insight into personal relationships. Pekar has been compared to Dreiser, Dostoevsky, and Lenny Bruce. But he is truly more than all of them—he is himself.

“Mr. Pekar has . . . proven that comics can address the ambiguities of daily living, that like the finest fiction, they can hold a mirror up to life.”
—The New York Times

“[Pekar] has a vision that makes daily city life—a ride on the bus, a run-in with a boss, or simply buying bread—dramatic.”
—Chicago Sun-Times

“Simply stated, American Splendor is the most superb literary endeavor to come off the streets of Cleveland in decades.”
—The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

“Mr. Pekar lets all of life flood into his panels: the humdrum and the heroic, the gritty and the grand.”
—The New York Times Book Review

From the Inside Flap

The inspiration for the award-winning movie
from HBO Films and Fine Line Features

AMERICAN SPLENDOR
The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar

Two classic comic anthologies in one volume

Stories by Harvey Pekar

Introduction by R. Crumb

Art by Kevin Brown, Gregory Budgett, Sean Carroll, Sue Cavey, R. Crumb, Gary Dumm, Val Mayerik, and Gerry Shamray

The classic collection of the comics that inspired the movie American Splendor, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival

American Splendor is the world?s first literary comic book. Cleveland native Harvey Pekar is a true American original. A V.A. hospital file clerk and comic book writer, Harvey chronicles the ordinary and mundane in stories both funny and touching. His dead-on eye for the frustrations and minutiae of the workaday world mix in a delicate balance with his insight into personal relationships. Pekar has been compared to Dreiser, Dostoevsky, and Lenny Bruce. But he is truly more than all of them?he is himself.

?Mr. Pekar has . . . proven that comics can address the ambiguities of daily living, that like the finest fiction, they can hold a mirror up to life.?
?The New York Times

?[Pekar] has a vision that makes daily city life?a ride on the bus, a run-in with a boss, or simply buying bread?dramatic.?
?Chicago Sun-Times

?Simply stated, American Splendor is the most superb literary endeavor to come off the streets of Cleveland in decades.?
?The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

?Mr. Pekar lets all of life flood into his panels: the humdrum and the heroic, the gritty and the grand.?
?The New York Times Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (July 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345468309
• ISBN-13: 978-0345468307
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,829 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid, September 26, 2003

By	Johnny Heering "trivia buff" (Bethel, CT United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book contains two classic comic anthologies in one volume. It features the contents of the out of print books American Splendor and More American Splendor. Obviously, this was released to capitalize on the publicity that the American Splendor film is getting. Well, if the movie inspires people to search out the comics of Harvey Pekar, that is a good thing. This is great stuff. Harvey has a way of making ordinary life seems interesting. I think if you saw the movie and liked it, you will also dig this book.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life as it's never portrayed, February 10, 2004

By A Customer

It's one of the marks of a genius that he can see what's extraordinary in the ordinary. That's Harvey Pekar's gift. While he may seem mordbid or depressing to some, the way he renders the little moments in life is truly inspiring. I would recommend this book to anyone who says "drama is not the stuff of ordinary life." Wrong! It just takes the right eye to see it. Pekar also reminds me of Charles Bukowski (Post Office) and Richard Perez (The Losers' Club). I recommend American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar -- highly!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harvey's First Collection, Possibly His Best, March 26, 2000

By	Chris Bryant (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar (Paperback)

This is the first paperback collection of Harvey's work, and no collection is complete without it. There are more one- and two-page stories than his later work, and this edition does concentrate on Harvey's work life more than anything else. The longer story on how he got to meet Bob Crumb is priceless. It never fails to amaze me how truthful Harvey is about his character flaws, and that's one reason his work is so compelling. Definitely worth the money and time to have Amazon hunt this one down for you.