Vita da bambina e altre storie

by Phoebe Gloeckner, Elena M. Battista (Translator)

Apparse per la prima volta negli Stati Uniti nel 1998, le storie a fumetti della bambina Minnie sono l’indispensabile prologo al capolavoro di Phoebe Gloeckner Diario di una ragazzina. L’autrice racconta la sua vita di bambina in vicende dai toni a volte onirici e infantili, ma a tratti di un realismo talmente crudele da diventare un’esplicita denuncia di abusi psicologici e sessuali. Nella San Francisco degli anni sessanta e settanta la piccola Minnie si trova alle prese con un patrigno irascibile e violento, una madre succube e assente e amicizie pericolose. In questo contesto di disgregazione affettiva, lo sguardo della giovane protagonista resta coraggiosamente puntato dritto al cuore della famiglia borghese per raccontarne il disfacimento e l’orrore.

«La Gloeckner è una figura leggendaria del fumetto underground» (Publishers’ Weekly)

«Una delle migliori disegnatrici USA, la più forte personalità femminile del comic underground contemporaneo» (Repubblica XL)

«Un impietoso ritratto di una società e di uno stile di vita medio borghese che mostra il suo volto più egoistico, edonista e vacuo» (Pulp)

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Memoir, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comix, Short Stories

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Jan Philipzig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a pleasant read by any means: I had to put the book down several times for longer periods before I could finally finish it. There is a frankness to its depiction of abuse that is much more disturbing than your typical mass-marketable, predictable, manipulative contemporary drama. A classic of the late underground period and of the autobiographical genre, as well as a milestone in the history of women's comics. Highly recommended!

[Maricruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Resulta doblemente perturbador ver un contenido tan tremendo servido con un estilo de ilustración tan atento al detalle, con un trazo y unos sombreados tan precisos. Quienes hayan leído Diario de una adolescente encontrarán en Vida de una niña el podrido germen de lo que en aquel libro se narra, los abusos sexuales, la negligencia parental, las drogas, mostrados con toda crudeza. Son historias cortas con un marcado aire underground, pero dibujadas por una artista cuya técnica venía ya previamente afilada por su adiestramiento como ilustradora médica. Gracias eternas a la ilustración técnica, que nos ha dado obras como las de Emil Ferris y Phoebe Gloeckner.

[Imogen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa. I think this is the most disturbing thing I've ever read, and it's hard to imagine really recommending it to anybody, even though it's brilliant. It's just brutal. Abuse, sexuality in a place- determined by age, class, and gender- where consent is a total grey area (e.g.: not really available), just kind of going along with the drugs everybody's doing- it's intense. Like beats the shit out of Chuck Palahniuk or Dennis Cooper without even trying intense.

She's also a phenomenal visual artist and gifted at pacing/plotting in that way where it seems like she's just kind of fucking off and saying stuff, until you realize how strong the impact of what's happening is and realize it couldn't possibly be unintentional.

Yeah, whoa.

[Karoliina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been difficult to decide how I should rate this. I don't like the style of the art and that has been holding me back from giving this 5 stars. However, I've come to realise how trivial that is. Although Gloeckner's style isn't my thing, this collection is masterfully constructed and the in-your-face art is part of the reason why it's so powerful.

Narratives like this are extremely important. This is immediately illustrated by the gross introduction where R. Crumb makes light of the fact that he too was attracted to underage Gloeckner and that he couldn't have helped himself had she come to live with him, and that he was surprised that Gloeckner was so unaware of her sex appeal. This he felt was the appropriate way to introduce a detailed account of the sexual abuse Gloeckner went through as a child.

To make matters worse, in the blurb Crumb says "She is one of the best, which is interesting, seeing as A.) She's a cute girl, B.) She's not a very profilic artist... two factors which, one would assume, would be a hindrance to great art."

Yes, because how attractive some creep finds you indicates how good an artist you are likely to be. Ugh.

Fuck R. Crumb.

[Nomy · Rating 3 out of 5]

phoebe gloeckner is an amazing artist/illustrator, and a good storyteller, but the subject matter is definitely hard. i read this book on a day when i already had a bunch of shit up, i can't say it was exactly cathartic. these are not healing-from stories, they're more like reliving that sense of powerlessness and confusingness of adults' (particularly creepy men's) mind games and power trips on kids. the worst thing about this book is the introduction by robert crumb, who knew phoebe as kid and confesses that he would have molested her too if he had a chance. i really don't understand why that was included in this book.

[Licha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very disturbing book. One of those that made me feel like I needed to take a shower after reading it. I don't even know how to rate this because I can't say that I should give it 4 or 5 stars. I didn't enjoy reading about the subject matter. But does it deserve that because it's a book I won't soon forget? Or do I rate it 1 or 2 stars because I hated the subject matter? That wouldn't be fair either because it doesn't make this book less important to read just because I was uncomfortable with it. It's also supposed to be semiautobiographical, so how do you rate what someone has gone through? I stuck with rating it right in the middle.

The book is broken into short segments that tell some kind of sexual story and it is RELENTLESS!!! It is not the sensual type of sex story--rather it is story after story of some kind of sexual abuse, rape, molestation, grooming and taking advantage of a minor, etc., etc., etc. It is non-stop to the point where it was making me feel ill. This review is graphic so please be aware.

To start, the introduction page is such a strange inclusion. Here we have a grown man, R. Crumb, who tells us how he has known Phoebe since she was 16 or 17 and proceeds to tell us how he lusted after her and couldn't control perverted thoughts of her ("I, too, desired to subject the beautiful, intense young girl to all sorts of degrading and perverse sexual acts. The only difference was, I never got any further than a couple of piggyback rides." So this should all makes us overlook that he's not some kind of nasty pervert because he only got as far as giving her a piggyback ride??) Then he laments that he didn't even get a single blow job from her! I was highly disturbed.

In the first story, we get a glimpse of a young girl, possibly aged 4 to 10, it's not clear. They are riding in the car and she starts fighting with her sister. Her stepfather gets quite upset and calls her a little b****. I was so bothered by this, especially when the mother did not step in to protect her child, even after he stops the car and throws the child out on some random road and then drives off. He eventually drives back for her but the mom basically blames her for upsetting her stepdad.

This sets up the next story with stepdad again where mom and daughter are horseplaying around the room. When mom sits down, he offers her a book "Open Marriage: A New Lifestyle For Couples" so she can consider if it's something they can try. He also tells her she needs to stop playing with her daughter because he's noticed how physical and blatantly sexual their relationship has gotten. "..you two were practically f***ing right in front of me..." and "...you're allowing her to transfer her budding libido onto you--it's downright incestuous!!" This is one twisted individual who is going to read all kinds of perversions into even the most innocent things. It made me so tense with worry for this girl. And this was barely the second story into the book.

You can tell by the next couple of stories that he has already thwarted this young girl's mind. They go for a ride to the store and they are each sharing opinions about girls they see on the street and which ones they each find attractive, he going into sexually graphic detail of what's attractive to him.

This young girl is not the only one we see depicted being sexually abused. She is at a friends house when the friends dad comes home and her friend, scared out of her mind, tells her to hide under the bed and be quiet. We can only assume her friend was being molested when we see Minnie (the main girl) huddled into a little ball as she hides under the bed and then later on when she's in her own bed she is shown crying for her friend.

I believe the mother knew of the abuse and it almost seemed like she was a willing observer of it. There's a point where we see the mom and stepdad having some kind of romp time and stepdad calls Minnie to the room because he is insistent on giving Minnie a lesson on the birds and the bees. Mom is a little drunk and giddy. Minnie looks upset at her because she feels that is a talk she should have with her mother not her stepdad. Stepdad in the meantime is pushy wanting to know which friends of hers have breast and wants vivid descriptions of it. In one of the panels, the mother is shown in a sexual pose. Minnie's anger is discomfort is evident and she storms out of the room. She has clearly now seen and experienced things she shouldn't have and it we see her lash out at her younger sister when she beats her up.

All the stories show the victimization of this young girl at different stages of her life. It's men, women, and even three of her classmates (who look like they are still in elementary school) when they basically all gang-molest her. She also starts having an affair with her mother's boyfriend (stepdad no longer in the picture).

The book is not for the faint of heart. It is a non-stop bombardment of sexual abuse and victimization, and drug use. I hate that that cover is used because it's very deceiving. I would hate for a kid to pick this book up thinking it's a child's book.

This is not a feel-good book. It's been a few days and I still can't shake the ickiness of it off me.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure how Phoebe Gloeckner is still around with us, and I'm not sure how she's survived as much pain and manipulation as she has without breaking. I'm sure this work is part of what kept her going.

A Child's Life is not just an incredible graphic novel, it's a marvelous demonstration of the ability of comics to allow artists a freedom of expression denied to other mediums. The writing and images of these stories of sexual, emotional, and spiritual abuse by friends, family, and complete strangers work together to create a reading experience that is difficult. I had to stop several times while reading about Gloeckner's sexual abuse from her step-father, about being date-raped, about being essentially sold by a friend in exchange for speed. These stories are rough, and Gloeckner's honesty is powerful in these pages. The reader is unlikely to finish this book with a feeling of happiness or satisfaction, but they are sure to remember this experience because of the sheer aesthetic weight of what is being created.

This collection is worth the reader's time however, because it allows an insight into the life of survivors. Gloeckner's life is one similar to many other victims of familial incest and sexual assault, and while there are some that have criticized her for portraying her childhood self in these graphic sexual moments, her willingness to show what abuse actually should check these arguments. Abuse is real, and reader do no good to survivors if they reject the images and suggest the victim keep quiet. A Child's Life is another chance to see what comics can do, and how it can communicate feelings and ideas in a way that pure writing and pure imagery can't.

Gloeckner uses images of her abuse, and her writing about the events in question to remind the reader that she survived, but not everyone else is so lucky. This book matters terribly to anyone and everyone concerned about the sexual health of our society, and the need to protect children from abuse, no matter in what form it manifests.

[Stefani · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely heart-breaking piece of art. This autobiographically-inspired collection of graphics tells of girls' struggles with sex, drugs, and abuse. The stories disturbed me to the core and the drawings were phenomenal. Worth the time to read the words and pictures but definitely for mature readers.

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I read this too fast. I think I might've given myself a trauma by vicariously processing 25 years or so of Gloeckner's survival in less than 24 hours.

This is unrelenting horror that is sometimes strangely banal. It isn't like Lynda Barry's childhood comics, with their more than occasional genuine laughs despite the violence, and their rousing theatricality. It's...

discouraging.

But really good!

[Nick LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

The command of pen that PG has is astounding. Styles shift and change, each one seamless and perfectly natural. The stories are rough and sad, but a nice use of the comix form, almost an inversion of the bizarro masculine eye which the style is famous for.

Lots of beautiful panels and some heavy simple-yet-profound writing, the type of thing which can be very hard to do. A perfect example of the classic “midnight and staring at your bedroom ceiling” anxiety attacks: “WHAT IF I AM REALLY A BAD PERSON, BUT JUST CAN'T SEE iT, BECAUSE IT IS THE NATURE OF THE HUMAN TO BELIEVE SELF-RIGHTEOUSLY IN THE VERACITY OF HIS OWN PERSPECTIVE?”

I agree with Crumb’s assessment that Minnie’s Third Love is a masterpiece of the form. Some of the other stories? A little repetitive, hence the four stars. Nonetheless, an amazingly drawn collection of raw and occasionally powerful storytelling that does something new with a tired, stale, and oft overwrought form of comics. Really impressive, I look forward to reading more.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the most fucked up book I'll have ever read in my life. This is also probably the most evocative and personally affective art piece I'll ever seen, read, held or otherwise observed in my life. This collection of work is nothing short of a masterpiece. At 150 primarily illustrated pages, you could get through this book in one sitting, but the emotional impact of what you're consuming, rendered beautifully in graphic detail, blooms as if it's a bruise and I found it best to let the comics unfurl slowly over a couple days.

It is most certainly the artwork that packs the greatest punch. The storytelling is either nonchalant or painfully vulnerable as it broaches even the utmost taboo; but the artwork is bold and confrontational, sometimes downright aggressive, when depicting the savagery so casually explored in the text. I read the Diary of a Teenage Girl first and thought this book, it's predecessor, would be less likely to shock me, after all, I already know the score right? Wrong. This collection gives more backstory, more context and it explores more deeply the depravity of the maternal abuse suffered.

The Diary is written primarily in the format of a novel, using illustration more sparingly to introduce a concept that is better felt than explained, or otherwise just to move along a 300+ page plot. In this collection of comics, so much more is laid bare and then further distilled into 150 pages of the most emotionally raw artwork I've seen. The cover art makes this book appear absolutely disarming, I actually had a coworker ask me if I was reading a book of fairy tales. This edition in particular has the dimensions and feel of a child's coloring book. I also adore the Philadelphia skyline peaking out in the background of the cover, something few are likely to notice.

[J. Gonzalez- Blitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collection of Phoebe's earlier works, many of which appeared in comic anthologies...the bulk of these stories revolve around Minnie as a child (ad in Nightmare On Polk Street, a teenager.) Phoebe creates a sense of abuse as an all-encompassing atmosphere - Minnie's stepfather Pascal is never shown laying a hand on her (though he physically forces her sister to drink wine in one story), but is a pompous pseudo-intellectual master at what is sometimes called "grooming". With Pascal around, even mundane family events such as a trip to the grocery store or a little girl playfully dancing with her mother become imbued with inappropriate sexuality and conversation. By the time of the aforementioned "Nightmare On Polk Street", this psychological landscape shows it's garden in the form of 15 year old Minnie's vacillation between an affair with her mother's new boyfriend (not Pascal, but a very similarly drawn character) and other sexual exploits out on the streets of San Francisco, not always consensual, not always conscious, sometimes freely offered, sometimes with an element of the trick, as much in search of a high as a partner. Perhaps even more so. In early years it can be hard to sort out exactly how much of what we do is determined by how we're indoctrinated by the adults around us, especially at ages where we have little else to compare their lessons against, and this book gives an insightful profile of how these things can occur without moralizing or lecturing about it.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Child's Life and Other Stories is all over the map, including comics representing a span of twenty years and a short portfolio of non-comic work. This isn't a problem per-se, but I found the lack of clear organization frustrating (I wish it had been easier to see when the stories had been written), and a lot of distinct pieces ended up melding together in a way that I don't feel did them any service.

At her best, Gloeckner is brilliant and her artistic talent is astounding. She is brutally honest about very difficult subject matters (drugs and sex abuse, among other things), and doesn't shy away from the disturbing, nor does she feel a need to keep her protagonists sympathetic at all times. Sure, that makes it all less palatable, but these stories shouldn't be palatable.

While I found individual stories breathtaking and heartbreaking (I'm thinking particularly of the title story), I wasn't fond of the overall collection. For something so short, it lacked cohesion, and included a lot of chaff. Nevertheless, it's put Gloeckner on my radar in a major way.

(I can't leave this without adding how disturbing I found R. Crumb's introduction. His sexualization of a woman who writes semi-autobiographical work about being sexualized was gross, and the use of her book as a platform for personal confession self-indulgent.)

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not for the faint of heart. It has graphic depictions of rape, drug abuse, and child abuse. I kept thinking about how difficult it must have been for her to draw this, and at the same time, how therapeutic. Like other books I like, the author's ability to be vulnerable, show raw emotion, no holds barred, drew me in and kept my heart hurting for her all the way through. It's a beautiful and sad book to read, but it's strength lies in the honesty and brutality of the author and her young life. I'm anxious to read Diary of a Teenage Girl, the continuation of her biographical graphic novels. I thought it interesting that when I received Diary from Amazon or Paperback Swap, it came with the standard yellow "Used Text" sticker that you see in universities. Somewhere a professor has assigned Gloeckner as essential reading. Art? Feminism? Memoir? She would surely fit into each of these categories as an exemplar. With R. Crumb as her mentor and good friend, you can see the influence of his well-known distorted and strange style of drawing on her art. He writes the foreword with equal parts creepy and caring, lavishing Gloeckner with fatherly praise. This book is -- as I said -- difficult to read, but touching, provocative, and sadly lovely at once.

[Irukina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se trata de una recopilación de trabajos de la autora Phoebe Gloeckner.

Los dibujos son impresionantes. Tienen un realismo grotesco que impacta. Sin embargo, no ha acabado de gustarme este libro. Las historias (que en realidad casi no son tales sino más bien son como "fotografías" con texto) me resultaban un poco desasosegantes. Aunque quizás esto es lo que ella quería conseguir.

No es el estilo de cómic que creo que me gusta. Y digo creo porque solo he empezado a adentrarme ahora en este género literario de la novela gráfica y el cómic. Pero es que no me ha llegado. Creo que es para amantes más del dibujo que del texto y no es mi caso. Yo prefiero las historias y como acompañante me va bien el dibujo pero no al revés.

[Anto Tilio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi mejor amigo me recomendó la peli Diary of a teenage girl. Después de verla me puse a stalkear la novela gráfica en la que estaba basada y me dieron muchas ganas de leerla. No conseguí la de la adolescente todavía, pero ésta es anterior.
Me gustó mucho el estilo desenfadado, directo, crudo y medio surrealista. La gran mayoría de las historias que aparecen acá son autobiográficas. Y nos muestran el lado oscuro y la perversión humana. Phoebe/Minnie tenía poca autoestima, era inocente e ingenua y eso la fue arrastrando a situaciones horrorosas que no debería vivir ninguna niña.
Me encantó el estilo de la autora y los dibujos y pinturas de la última sección son increíbles.

[Deirdra]

I read this book in one sitting. There short narratives that have similar themes as “Diary of a Teenage Girl”. I think she's an incredible story teller and an equally incredible visual artist, but this is difficult subject matter. I have to agree with other commenters of this book that what is particularly disturbing is R. Crumb's introduction to the book where he comments on how hot she is and, considering the books subject matters, his comments are inappropriate. I could have done without his input. I would recommend this book.

[° Gabby ° · Rating 3 out of 5]

- Great read as a follow on from 'Diary of a Teenage Girl'
- Phoebe 'Gets over nothing' Gloeckner
- It's interesting to see stories explored in 'Diary of a Teenage Girl' expressed in short comic form decades prior, and in different styles too.
- Something I cannot look past even though I admire this artist's work: The one dimensional and racist portrayal of African American men as sexually aggressive in both books. It could be argued that this perspective comes from her character 'Minnie' and not the author herself, but since it's autobio fiction I'm sceptical and still erked.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that made me alternate between squirming, grinning and feeling really sad. Sometimes I couldn't figure out which one to do because I kind of felt like doing them all at once.

This is a child molestation story as written by the child, now all-grown-up. Except the child has grown up into something of a sassy pervert with a twisted sense of humor. You're now getting close to what this book is like.

[Lauracio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Potente, a tratti disgustoso, a tratti sublime. Phoebe racconta episodi più o meno autobiografici, traumatici, spaventosi, a volte ridicoli ma mai leggeri, non c'è spazio per la leggerezza nella vita del suo alter ego, Minnie. Che dire poi delle sfacciate e precisissime tavole anatomiche che sono a fine volume? Spettacolari! Potenti!
(Per me questo è decisamente superiore al Diario di una teenager)

[George Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning graphic style, disturbing and deeply honest confessional of drug and sexual abuse, plenty of humour- this one really shows the potential of the comics form. It is only marred by an inappropriate leering intro by Robert Crumb who is clearly erotically excited by the thought of Gloeckner's abuse....

[Harry Alles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really good. Incredibly honest and heartbreaking. A beautiful and extremely sad collection that covers some of the worst things in life.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was utterly horrifying, but I mean that in the best way? Very, very uncomfortable subject material, rendered beautifully

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I am still enraptured with Phoebe Gloeckner's art, this didn't have a fraction of the story arc or cohesion as Diary of a Teenage Girl.

[Eliacquatico · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warning: sexual abuse, child abuse, drug content. Not a pleasant reading. It is a tough autobiographical work about the difficulties of living in a toxic enviroment, but it is also the story of a strong and brave woman coming out of it, becoming an adult, a great cartoonist and a survivor. Not my cup of tea by the way, but it deserves four star because it is really important when stories like this are written and read.

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book articulates trauma in a visceral way. It s very disturbing at times. It is well executed. If you decide to read this, take care of yourself when you do.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A handful of underground comix have intrigued me for years, partly for their lack of adherence to narrative norms, and unabashedly lurid presentation. A Child's Life is no different, many of the vignettes stop abruptly, but over the course of the collection you gather a peek of the author's upbringing. Much of the art is explicitly and horrifically vulgar, but I think that's the point; it doesn't reduce abuse and trauma to a euphemism. Definitely a tough read, but it stayed in my head for several days after finishing.

Plus, some of the snapshots involve cruising down Polk Street in 1970s San Francisco. I've seen a lot of bizarre stuff out in the open while wandering around just south of Polk, so I guess some weirdness just persists for decades.

[Joti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really jarring narrative(s) about Minnie’s experiences with sex, drugs, rape and violence at a young age—the constant refrain seemed to be that the female body is a site for the fulfillment of male pleasure and lust. And the explicitness of the work was really unexpected.

[Manish · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one helluva bleak book. Gloeckner was abused as a child by her mother's lover. She was pimped in her teens and fell into the vortex of drugs and booze. Remarkably, she kept sketching on and off and with time managed to find her way in life and move out of that zone.

This work is a compilation of most of her sketches dealing with these episodes. It's not easy reading. A child's curiosity about sex and sexuality is always funny to read, But not in this case as this child's experiences were much more brutal and cruel.

The foreword to this work is by Crumb and for me her drawing style closely resembles his own. He begins with a confession of his lust towards her (typical Crumb) and then goes on to admit how self-established boundaries made him different from the other men who took this emotion to crueler and more ruthless ends. His one page effort added tremendous context to the work and one cant but feel sad for the tortures most children all over the world undergo at the hands of adults.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to know how to take this book. The stories of sexual abuse and dysfunctional relationships remind me of second-wave feminist works that feel their way through depicting problems not yet explicitly documented but that don't necessarily see solutions in sight. But then there's the introduction by R. Crumb, which puts a really strange pall on everything that follows. Is it there as an exclamation point--yes, everything really is this bad, and actually even worse? Or is Gloeckner just not seeing what her audience is (...surely..?). At any rate, it's a unique work facing difficult subject matter with brazenness. The revised edition contains additional stories previously published in several sources, which display various styles, but for the most part Gloeckner employs a comic art black-and-white style that veers into the grotesque (lots of oversized penises) but for the most part draws us in to her everyday world.