Kaspar.

On May 28, 1828, Kaspar Hauser inexplicably appeared on the streets of Nuremberg unable to speak, with no personal papers and apparently no past. An apparent “wolf man,” Hauser claimed to have grown up in total isolation in an underground cell. His story of imprisonment and apparent ability to quickly learn language and other social skills made Hauser a curiosity that European society could not ignore. As in life, Hauser’s death was full of mystery and surprise. After at least one unsuccessful attempt on his life, Hauser was killed by a stranger, by stabbing, in December 1833.

In her first English publication, Diane Obomsawin brings Hauser’s strange tale to life in Kaspar, a starkly written and illustrated retelling of Hauser’s story. Based on Hauser’s own writings and other contemporary accounts, Obomsawin’s deceptively simple illustrations reflect Hauser’s juvenile astonishment at his new surroundings. In Obomsawin’s account, Hauser describes his early years in the cellar as a “painless state,” and Obomsawin’s sometimes repeated and minimally drawn panels help readers to better understand how the wonders of the 19th century would overwhelm a foundling, sometimes to the point of passing out. This same simplicity, however, also leaves room for readers to question Hauser’s tale. Hauser claimed to have never dreamt before emerging from his cell, and, as some of the characters in the story point out, Hauser managed to live an affluent and comfortable life—at the expense of the city—after his emergence. The straightforward elegance of the illustrations allow readers to question Hauser’s claims as they simultaneously get caught up with his apparent wonder at his new world.

Hauser’s story has caught the imagination of readers for almost 200 years, and Obomsawin’s retelling is a welcome addition to the list of books about Hauser’s life. In an artfully written and illustrated tale, Obomsawin allows her readers to draw their own conclusions about Hauser’s truthfulness. Was he in fact raised in an underground cell with only a wooden horse for companionship, or was he the greatest fraud of the 19th century (as some critics claim)?