Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey [Hardcover]

Edward Gorey (Author), Karen Wilkin (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 9, 2001

A vivid self-portrait in words of one of the great American
artists of the twentieth century. Designed to appeal to Gorey lovers as well as
those seeking an introduction to his work, Ascending Peculiarity includes reproductions of previously unpublished drawings and photographs. Edited by Karen Wilkin.

Edward Gorey's extraordinary and disconcerting books are avidly sought and treasured throughout the world, but until now little has been known about the man himself. While he was notoriously protective of his privacy, Gorey did grant dozens of interviews over the course of his life. And as the conversations collected in this book demonstrate, he proved to be unfailingly charming, gracious, and fascinating.

Here is Gorey in his own words, ruminating on everything from French symbolist poetry to soap operas, from George Balanchine and the unique beauty of ballet to Victorian photographs of dead children. We meet the artist in his ramshackle book-lined studio in Manhattan and his equally bizarre house on Cape Cod. We listen as he describes his legendary upbringing and vast range of influences, as well as how he managed to work amid all his cats.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gorey in his own words, taken from the interviews he gave over time.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 292 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Brace Academic Pub.; 1st edition (October 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151005044
• ISBN-13: 978-0151005048
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #310,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Edward Gorey (1925-2000) wrote and illustrated such popular books as The Doubtful Guest, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, and The Headless Bust. He was also a very successful set and costume designer, earning a Tony Award for his Broadway production of Edward Gorey's Dracula. Animated sequences of his work have introduced the PBS series Mystery! since 1980.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it for the man - buy it for the references, December 21, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey (Hardcover)

Amid the doorstop-sized biographies of anyone who has put two ideas together, it's great to have this bright little collection of interviews of a remarkably original thinker. The variety of the interviewers is effective - there are graphic design types asking about paper and nibs, and literary types working on themes and influences, as well as the official New Yorker canonization, and the sharp little session with Dick Cavett. Gorey comes across as both erudite and self-effacing - he's an intellectual with an asbsurdist's lack of vanity about his place in the world, and a humanist's warmth for the pleasantness of daily life.

What made this book better than a nice bio of an interesting person is that Gorey was, in his words, "a cultural magpie," and was very generous with his compliments to artists he found excellent. So if you like the play of aesthetic styles and ideas in Gorey's work, you'll probably love listening to him talk about the artists he admires. I've added a half-dozen of his recommendations to my to-read list.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating for his fans, December 31, 2001

By 

kennedy19 "kennedy19" (wakefield, ma USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey (Hardcover)

This is a valuable book for Edward Gorey's ever-growing group of fans. If you are familiar with this artist's unique brand of sophisticatedly absurd stories, illustrated with a distinct, careful pen-and-ink style that is halfway between fine art and cartoon, then you will be intrigued to find out more about the eccentric man who made them. (If you are unfamiliar with his work, I strongly suggest you find a copy of a collection of his called "Amphigorey.") This book collects the best interviews and magazine pieces about Gorey that appeared from the sixties until his death in the late nineties. Taken together, they give a pretty good idea of what Gorey was like - erudite, obsessive, reclusive, and above all, a man who did his own thing regardless of whether it brought success or not. (In this he is a truly inspirational figure, however odd you may think him. It's not that he was a particularly happy person, but he always allowed himself to be himself.) Gorey speaks of his artistic influences and offers sporadic glimpses into his family life and work habits. Where else will you find this much information about him in one place? This may well be the truest glimpse of the man behind the art that we will ever see.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Kind of Quirky Inspiriation, April 21, 2002

By 

Chelle "Chelle" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey (Hardcover)

If there's one thing I really love about this book it's the lack of continuity. There's no need to sit down and read it straight through. Read an article a day. Go to it only when you want a sentence or thought to mull over. Pick out an image when you want to write or illustrate something yourself. There's plenty of quirky inspiration to be found in these articles.

This is an eccentric kind of biography, perfectly suited to the nature of the man. In it there is only so much revealed, enough to make you wonder what else was there, what was waiting to happen. And for those of us that wouldn't have access to the original articles, well, this is a wonderful solution.

Perhaps the only thing that kept this book from getting a full five stars is that there just aren't enough of his illustrations to satisfy.