Staff Pick – The Late Great Edward Gorey

“He lived with as many as six cats at a time: the ‘people,’ he claimed, to whom he felt closest.” —Susan Lumenello (Harvard Magazine, March–April 2007)

Many of us who watch Mystery on PBS will recognize the art of Edward Gorey. The introduction to the show is available on YouTube.

Renown for his macabre artwork I have long been a fan. A colleague of mine recently visited his home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts which is now open to the public. I am SO jealous. She said the house was a fascinating glimpse into the eccentric figure that was Gorey.

Many of Edward Gorey’s works are available at the Halifax Public Libraries. Gorey’s illustrated (and sometimes wordless) books, with their vaguely ominous air and ostensibly Victorian and Edwardian settings, have long had a cult following. One of my favorites is his alphabet book for adults “The Gashlycrumb Tinies“. His ingenious rendering of the alphabet is much too gruesome and frightening for the average child.

The book of interviews “Ascending peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey“provides an intriguing glimpse into the life of this brilliant eccentric.

There is a great online interview with Edward Gorey on the MYSTERY! website.