Review by Booklist Review
According to many statements in this sterling collection of interviews, the late creator of nonpareil illustrated books thought of himself primarily as a writer. The stories came to him more easily than his densely crosshatched drawings, each of which normally took a week's labor. His literariness shouldn't surprise us, considering that he majored in French at Harvard and most of his friends were writers; he roomed with poet Frank O'Hara for two years; and novelist Alison Lurie was long a familiar. Reclusive by nature, Gorey yet attended every New York City Ballet performance for 25 years, becoming a fixture to the company, thanks to the fur coats, sneakers, and jeans he habitually wore, and late in life devoted much time to community productions of his plays. It seems as though he read everything, and his pronouncements on writers constitute one of this book's most acute pleasures. He was also a movie buff who preferred silent films, averring that they, more than any other artwork, influenced his style and choice of subjects. As delightful as a Gorey storybook. --Ray Olson
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Will Gorey's curious Victorian households scenes of disconcerting, dastardly deeds and "crypto-Edwardian" characters fade into obscurity with his death? Not a chance. Cultish popularity has yielded to international fascination with this fecund author-artist's carefully crosshatched drawings, quaint enchiridions and fey fiction. Curator/art critic Wilkin expands on The World of Edward Gorey (1996), which she coauthored, with this illustrated collection of 21 interviews that reveal Gorey's interests, foibles and habits. Gorey (1925-2001) studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, was drafted in 1943 (training in Utah, he began his writing career with "unpresentable... closet dramas") and majored in French at Harvard. He initially published his books through his own Fantod Press. More than 100 titles followed The Unstrung Harp (1953), and his readership expanded in 1972 with the first of the Amphigorey anthologies. Interviews culled from magazines (Cats, Dance, Vanity Fair), newspapers, NPR and TV (Dick Cavett) reveal Gorey's cultural influences and inspirations (cats, crime narratives, Louis Feuillade, Buster Keaton, the New York City Ballet, Ivy Compton-Burnett) along with minutiae and insights into his erudite, eccentric humor. Best of all, readers glimpse Gorey's creative processes: the texts almost always preceded the drawings, for instance. On his work he was characteristically irreverent: "I get a certain enjoyment out of doing it; but after it's done, I have no feeling for it at all." Stephen Schiff's 1992 "Edward Gorey and the Tao of Nonsense" (from the New Yorker) provides an outstanding overview. This is an exhilarating excursion into an extraordinary imagination (with numerous artistic tips and resources). 8 photos, 150 drawings. (Oct.) Forecast: National publicity and advertising, especially around the holidays, and counter displays will grab fans and gift givers. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
It's very possible that the only thing more peculiar and arresting than Edward Gorey's books and illustrations is Gorey himself. This collection of chronologically arranged interviews with Gorey (1925-99) spans three decades and shines light into many corners of his eccentric life and work. Gorey ponders his own bizarre dress (floor-length fur coats and sneakers), his obsession with the New York City Ballet, and his life with six cats and even manages to delve into some of the inspirations that fuel his enigmatic and strangely endearing work. This assembly by Wilkin (an art historian, independent curator, and critic, as well as coauthor of The World of Edward Gorey) reveals a charming, extremely intelligent, articulate, and eminently likable artist and writer. A thoughtful self-portrait thus emerges from the mist of questions and answers, one that helps to counter the paucity of recent Gorey scholarship. Gorey's own words clarify his peculiar and macabre worldview more succinctly than any biographer could hope to. Recommended for public and academic libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/01.] Kraig Binkowski, Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gorey in his own words, taken from the interviews he gave over time. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
