Edward Gorey
Edward Gorey was an American author and illustrator renowned for his distinctive black-and-white artwork, often featuring subjects dressed in Victorian or Edwardian attire against elaborate backgrounds. Born on February 22, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois, Gorey produced over a hundred books, many of which were published in limited editions and are now considered rare collectibles. Although his work sometimes resembled children's literature, it typically encompassed darkly humorous or sinister themes.
Gorey studied at Harvard University, where he developed his artistic sensibility, and later worked in the art department at Doubleday Anchor books. His notable contributions include illustrations for works by authors like Samuel Beckett and Edward Lear, as well as the animated opening sequences for the PBS series "Mystery!" His theatrical talents earned him a Tony Award for Best Costume Design for the 1977 Broadway play "Dracula." In his later years, he lived in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, where he directed theatrical productions and created a museum at his home, Elephant House. Gorey's imaginative works, such as "The Doubtful Guest" and "The Insect God," reveal a unique blend of whimsy and the macabre, making him a distinctive figure in American literature and art. He passed away in April 2000.
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Edward Gorey
- Born: February 25, 1925
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
- Died: April 15, 2000
Biography
Edward St. John Gorey was born February 22, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois, and is best known for his illustrations, typically black-and-white drawings featuring subjects in baroque Victorian or Edwardian dress and backgrounds. He was also a writer, mostly of chapbooks that were collected in omnibus book form. He produced more than a hundred books, many published obscurely and now rare and expensive, although many of them are collected in the omnibus volumes.
Gorey attended the Francis W. Parker School. He studied for a semester at the Chicago Art Institute in 1943, before spending the years 1944 to 1946 in the army. He was stationed at Dugway Proving Ground. He attended Harvard University from 1946 to 1950, with a concentration in French (a roommate was future poet Frank O’Hara). From 1953 to 1960, he lived in New York City. He worked in the art department of Doubleday Anchor books, illustrating book covers.
His first of his own works was The Unstrung Harp (1953). He also published under pseudonyms, such as Eduard Blutig, and Ogdred Weary, which is an anagram of his own first and last name. His books sometimes had the appearance of children’s stories, but typically had ominous or even humorously sinister themes. He also did illustrations for books by other authors, including Samuel Beckett, Edward Lear, John Bellairs, and John Ciardi. His most-recognized illustrations are probably the animated opening sequences for the public television show, Mystery!, starting in 1980. His designs for the 1977 Broadway play, Dracula, brought him a Tony Award for Best Costume Design (his work was also nominated for Best Scenic Design).
Later, Gorey lived on Cape Cod in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, where he directed many productions in an ensemble called La Theatricule Stoique. Some of them featured his papier-mâché puppets. He enjoyed ballet, often attending New York City Ballet performances, and the many cats he owned. His home on Cape Cod, called Elephant House, now serves as a gallery and museum.
His artwork has been compared to that of artist Charles Addams, although Gorey’s style is not cartoonish, as Addams’s work often was. The nature of his work caused many to jump to the conclusion that Gorey was British. But he had never even visited England. Some of his best-known fantasies include The Doubtful Guest (1957), in which a penguin-like beast moves in with a Victorian family and refuses to leave; The Object-Lesson (1958), a surreal piece of dark humor; The Insect God (1963), which ends with a kidnapped child being sacrificed to the title character; The Sinking Spell (1964), in which a creature slowly sinks from roof to basement of a house; The Epiplectic Bicycle (1969), featuring not only talking animals but a talking bicycle, and The Raging Tide: Or, The Black Doll’s Imbroglio (1987), a humorous look at multiple-choice game books. He died in April of 2000.