Yamada Murasaki (1948–2009) debuted as a cartoonist in 1969. Informed by her upbringing—she was raised mainly by her grandmother—and a background in design and poetry, Yamada’s early work was unique in form and content, offering realistic portraits of young women negotiating complicated family situations and the passage to adulthood. In the late ’70s, after having a family of her own, her work shifted to young mothers negotiating children, husbands, and the balance between social responsibilities as a housewife and self-respect as a woman. Yamada published manga in practically every issue of Garo from 1978 to 1986, and is considered the first cartoonist to use the artistic freedoms of alternative manga to explore motherhood and domesticity with an unromantic eye. She is the cartoonist of Talk to My Back and Second Hand Love.

“Yamada’s insight into women’s roles, identities, and attachments remains relevantly evergreen across cultures and decades.” —Booklist, Starred ReviewPraise for Yamada Murasaki:“This early feminist manga follows a suburban Tokyo woman as she navigates her relationship with an emotionally distant husband, her two maturing daughters and the fear of having been 'thrown away inside that empty vessel called the household.” —The New York Times“[Murasaki] moves with a spare poetry through daily routines and moments of solitude as a woman wrangles her children, chafes at the limitations of the housewife’s role and wonders where half her life has gone.” —Guardian Best Graphic Novels of 2022

1. 4/5

   Den andra kvinnan i stillsamt porträtt

   Mangaromanen håller en lågmäld och stillsam ton. De stora kännslorna verkar under ytan, bakom den kvinnliga protagonistens svala ansikte och lakoniska, isklara kommentarer. En 28 årig kvinna har en affär med en 38 årig man - gift, med två barn. Hon älskar honom inte, är inte kär i honom. En slags hopplöshet råder, som kokar upp vid de tillfällen då han uteblir från deras möten utan förvarning. Tecknarstilen är ren och enkel och i intervjun med Murasaki från 1983 översatt av Ryan Holmberg får vi veta mer om hennes sätt att skapa manga och teckna, influenser och hennes privatliv.

   Matteo

   12 februari 2025

Yamada Murasaki (1948–2009) debuted as a cartoonist in 1969. Informed by her upbringing—she was raised mainly by her grandmother—and a background in design and poetry, Yamada’s early work was unique in form and content, offering realistic portraits of young women negotiating complicated family situations and the passage to adulthood. In the late ’70s, after having a family of her own, her work shifted to young mothers negotiating children, husbands, and the balance between social responsibilities as a housewife and self-respect as a woman. Yamada published manga in practically every issue of Garo from 1978 to 1986, and is considered the first cartoonist to use the artistic freedoms of alternative manga to explore motherhood and domesticity with an unromantic eye. She is the cartoonist of Talk to My Back and Second Hand Love.

“Yamada’s insight into women’s roles, identities, and attachments remains relevantly evergreen across cultures and decades.” —Booklist, Starred ReviewPraise for Yamada Murasaki:“This early feminist manga follows a suburban Tokyo woman as she navigates her relationship with an emotionally distant husband, her two maturing daughters and the fear of having been 'thrown away inside that empty vessel called the household.” —The New York Times“[Murasaki] moves with a spare poetry through daily routines and moments of solitude as a woman wrangles her children, chafes at the limitations of the housewife’s role and wonders where half her life has gone.” —Guardian Best Graphic Novels of 2022

1. 4/5

   Den andra kvinnan i stillsamt porträtt

   Mangaromanen håller en lågmäld och stillsam ton. De stora kännslorna verkar under ytan, bakom den kvinnliga protagonistens svala ansikte och lakoniska, isklara kommentarer. En 28 årig kvinna har en affär med en 38 årig man - gift, med två barn. Hon älskar honom inte, är inte kär i honom. En slags hopplöshet råder, som kokar upp vid de tillfällen då han uteblir från deras möten utan förvarning. Tecknarstilen är ren och enkel och i intervjun med Murasaki från 1983 översatt av Ryan Holmberg får vi veta mer om hennes sätt att skapa manga och teckna, influenser och hennes privatliv.

   Matteo

   12 februari 2025

Yamada Murasaki (1948–2009) debuted as a cartoonist in 1969. Informed by her upbringing—she was raised mainly by her grandmother—and a background in design and poetry, Yamada’s early work was unique in form and content, offering realistic portraits of young women negotiating complicated family situations and the passage to adulthood. In the late ’70s, after having a family of her own, her work shifted to young mothers negotiating children, husbands, and the balance between social responsibilities as a housewife and self-respect as a woman. Yamada published manga in practically every issue of Garo from 1978 to 1986, and is considered the first cartoonist to use the artistic freedoms of alternative manga to explore motherhood and domesticity with an unromantic eye. She is the cartoonist of Talk to My Back and Second Hand Love.

“Yamada’s insight into women’s roles, identities, and attachments remains relevantly evergreen across cultures and decades.” —Booklist, Starred ReviewPraise for Yamada Murasaki:“This early feminist manga follows a suburban Tokyo woman as she navigates her relationship with an emotionally distant husband, her two maturing daughters and the fear of having been 'thrown away inside that empty vessel called the household.” —The New York Times“[Murasaki] moves with a spare poetry through daily routines and moments of solitude as a woman wrangles her children, chafes at the limitations of the housewife’s role and wonders where half her life has gone.” —Guardian Best Graphic Novels of 2022

1. 4/5

   Den andra kvinnan i stillsamt porträtt

   Mangaromanen håller en lågmäld och stillsam ton. De stora kännslorna verkar under ytan, bakom den kvinnliga protagonistens svala ansikte och lakoniska, isklara kommentarer. En 28 årig kvinna har en affär med en 38 årig man - gift, med två barn. Hon älskar honom inte, är inte kär i honom. En slags hopplöshet råder, som kokar upp vid de tillfällen då han uteblir från deras möten utan förvarning. Tecknarstilen är ren och enkel och i intervjun med Murasaki från 1983 översatt av Ryan Holmberg får vi veta mer om hennes sätt att skapa manga och teckna, influenser och hennes privatliv.

   Matteo

   12 februari 2025