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Vladek Spiegelman
Holocaust survivor, father of Artie, husband to Anja, and the protagonist. When the story begins, Vladek is 72 years old and living in Rego Park, New York, with his second wife, Mala. He has had two heart attacks and is broken by the suicide of his first wife, Anja. The book is structured around Vladek’s story of surviving the Holocaust, which he dictates to his son Artie.
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Artie Spiegelman
Son of Vladek and Anja, comic-book artist, and author of Maus. Artie is about 30 years old when the book begins and is writing a book about how his parents survived the Holocaust. He records a series of interviews with Vladek, his father, and struggles with his own creative process.
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Anja Spiegelman
Artie’s mother and Vladek’s wife. Anja is not alive during the present-day timeline, having died by suicide in the decades that followed World War II; what we learn of her comes almost entirely from Vladek’s stories of the war and the Holocaust.
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Mala
Vladek’s current wife and a Holocaust survivor. Mala married Vladek after Anja’s death. She and Vladek fight regularly, almost entirely about money and Vladek’s will.
Françoise
Artie’s wife. A supportive partner for Artie, Françoise plays peacemaker between Artie and Vladek, though she also finds Vladek frustrating and difficult to be around.
Richieu Spiegelman
First son of Anja and Vladek. Richieu was born in 1937, two years before Hitler invaded Poland. In 1943, Anja and Vladek send Richieu to live with Anja’s sister Tosha to keep him safe. Only a few months later, Tosha poisons herself, her two children, and Richieu to save them from a worse fate in Auschwitz.
