Editor’s note: In Zodiac: A Graphic Memoir, published last week, conceptual artist Ai Weiwei teamed up with Italian cartoonist Gianluca Costantini, and Greek-Italian graphic novelist Elettra Stamboulis, to produce a different kind of memoir to his last. The comic book delves into Ai’s personal story, from his formation as an artist to his detention by the authorities for challenging the system. This story also crosses generations, from his father’s own political persecution, to his son’s curiosity about the legacy he inherits.

Woven through it all is the folklore of the Chinese zodiac, whose twelve animals name each lunar new year. At the outset of the Year of the Dragon, we’re delighted to present an excerpt below, from the beginning of both book and zodiac, with Chapter 1, “Mouse” — although the cat, excluded from the calendar, also makes an appearance. Read on to go back to the start, with Ai growing up in Xinjiang with his father, the revolutionary poet Ai Qing:

Excerpted from Zodiac: A Graphic Memoir, by Ai Weiwei with Elettra Stamboulis, illustrated by Gianluca Constantini, published by Ten Speed Graphic (January, 2024). ∎