About “Asterios polyp”

Asterios Polyp is a graphic novel by David Mazzucchelli published in 2009. The story follows Asterios Polyp, an arrogant and prickly architect who has never built a real building. He is a pedant struggling with a spiritual crisis. When the structure of his life falls apart, he leaves to start over and rebuild himself. The novel explores themes of identity, failure, and personal transformation through the lens of a man searching for meaning.

Praise for “Asterios polyp”

“Mazzucchelli manages to combine breathless formal experimentation and read feeling into a story where every line, color choice, and panel arrangement builds toward a cohesive whole, lending an air of epic proportions to what would otherwise be a simple tale.”

— Library Journal

“This is an epic, emotionally rich, symbol-laden work that promises to redefine the graphic novel...David Mazzucchelli has made a beautiful, elaborate construction that coyly juggles style and content in a way few cartoonists are capable of.”

— Globe and Mail

“This brazenly original and complex work is easily one of the year's best novels, graphic or otherwise…Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.”

— San Jose Mercury News

Book details

Published
2008
Latest edition
2008 · ISBN 9780307377326
ISBN
9780307377326

Frequently asked questions

How many pages is Asterios polyp?

Asterios polyp by David Mazzucchelli has 344 pages.

Book descriptions, author biographies, award records and review quotes on this page are courtesy of Penguin Random House.