Saturday, January 16, 2016

Eerie and Gorey encounters ...1978


My oldest sister Mary lived on Cape Cod near the famous writer and illustrator Edward Gorey who passed away in 2000. His home is now a museum and I've been fortunate to have visited there two times while visiting Mary and another sister, Peg, who also lived on the Cape.  Sadly both sisters are gone now so my Gorey days are over.

However, Mary's daughter Wendy (my niece) was with me over the Holidays and her presence brought back this memory.  Her brother Chris (my nephew) knew I was interested in Edward Gorey and he wrote to me about his mother and he going to a restaurant in W. Barnstable where they often ran into him.   Chris writes:

"She took me one day when I was 17 and ... I was able to shake his hand and thank him for all the creepy entertainment he had given me over the  years.  He was very eccentric and was wearing bright red lipstick and black eye liner. I was a huge fan from the time I was in my first year of High School. I can still recite every word of  his alphabet book The Gashleycrumb Times.  'A if for Amy who fell down the stairs, B is for Basil assaulted by bears', etc.
I  called Gorey when I was in High School to see if he would come in as a guest.  I pleaded with him but he kept saying 'I'm sorry.  I'm just not good at that sort of thing.'  His pen and ink drawings are brilliant and worth looking at for anyone who in not familiar with his work."

Thanks. Chis, for the first-hand information.  My introduction to the world of Edward Gorey came when I watched the opening of Mystery Theater on PBS and found out he was the illustrator.  I've been hooked ever since.








7 Comments:

Blogger Marie Smith said...

Love the story of eccentric Mr Gorey. I will look up his work! Thank you.

7:32 PM  
Blogger Arkansas Patti said...

He is new to me but I will Google him after reading your post.

11:59 AM  
Blogger Beatrice P. Boyd said...

We visited the Gorey Museum, formerly his home, last fall when we took a trip to nearby Chatham, MA. And, like you, I also enjoy the opening drawings to PBS Mystery. Mr. Gorey was indeed a talented and unusual gentleman.

6:50 PM  
Blogger NCmountainwoman said...

I'm still totally fascinated by Edward Gorey. My children loved the alphabet book when they were very small and still love it today. A lot of folks think the book is not suitable for small children. I think all children should be exposed to things a little scary in the safety of their own homes. My son gave my daughter an Edward Gorey coloring book as a Christmas gift this year. She is a lover of all things Edward Gorey.

7:37 AM  
Blogger Anvilcloud said...

Seems like Gorey didn't mind a wee bit of gore.

12:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gorey was the Johnny Depp of PBS.

1:37 PM  
Blogger possum said...

I was "introduced" to Gorey when I was an art student a gazillion years ago. But being so young, Beardsley took over my interest in that class, and I soon forgot all about Gorey until much older. I often thought his illustrations were, um, autobiographical in a sense. Real or just wishful thinking, I don't know. Perhaps a bit of both?

6:27 AM  

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