NONFICTION · ESSAY / DIALOGUE

HAPPINESS THEORIES

A Manga Artist & An Art Historian Find Wisdom in 3,000 Years and in LIFE.

Author: Mari Yamazaki, Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere

Translator: Frederik L. Schodt and Beth Cary

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ISBN979-8-950818-07-3

RELEASE DATE2026/9/29

FORMATPaperback / Ebook

THE BOOK

In this captivating collection of dialogues, renowned manga artist, writer and painter Mari Yamazaki and art historian Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere–lead curator of the Art of Manga exhibit at the de Young Museum and The Brooklyn Museum–explore the patterns of human history to find a roadmap for optimism in the modern world.

Drawing from their shared “outsider” experiences while living abroad as teenagers and their lifelong pursuit of art and history across cultures, Yamazaki and Rousmaniere blend personal reflections and a global perspective. Their journey reveals profound truths about karma, the power of isolation and the intellect of humor.

Also included is Yamazaki’s manga short story Palmyra at the Museum, originally created for the Louvre No. 9 special exhibition in Japan.

A compelling, insightful, and hopeful must-read for making sense of the world we live in.

About the Authors

Photo Credit Yuka Uesawa

Mari Yamazaki

Acclaimed manga artist, writer, painter and professor Mari Yamazaki has won numerous honors for her work. Her award-winning manga series include Thermae Romae and PLINIUS (co-authored with Miki Tori). She is also a recipient of the Order of the Star of Italy by the Italian Republic.

Photo Credit Yuka Uesawa

Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere

Founder and inaugural director of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC) in the UK, Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere was the lead curator for Manga at the British Museum, and The Art of Manga, which debuted at the De Young Museum.