"Kiyama's The Four Immigrants Manga is a treasure. Like the Yellow Kid and Jiggs & Maggie, it is a splendid and authentic example of the immigrant literature of the period. More candid and outspoken than any of its contemporaries, it is a classic that demonstrates the true literary role of the comics to reflect ordinary life. Moreover, it is fun to read. It belongs in every library." —Will Eisner, graphic novelist, creator of The Spirit
"[Schodt has] done a knockout job as a translator and historian of San Francisco's Asian American experience. . . . Reading this book is a revelation. . ." —Alvin Lu, in the San Francisco Bay Guardian
Originally published in Japanese in 1931,
this is the true story—in comic book style—of four friends who in 1904
come from Japan to work in the U.S. They serve as houseboys, toil in
the fields, and live through the 1906 SF earthquake. They also suffer
considerable discrimination. This book’s valuable personal testimony
about early Asian-American struggles is marked by gentle humor.
Fluent in spoken and
written Japanese, translator Frederik K. Schodt is
the translator of several of Osamu Tezuka’s manga, including the 23-volume Astro Boy
series. He is also the author of several acclaimed works on Japan and
Japanese culture. He won the Osamu Tezuka Culture Award in 2000 for
helping to popularize manga overseas. He lives in San Francisco.
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