I was drawn to his picture in the article in the New York Times. “Who is this guy? Never heard of him.” But of course I had heard of him or at least I had always loved his artwork without knowing who Edward Gorey was. A celebration and the release of a biography of his life are reported by Steven Kurutz in the Style section of the New York Times. An apparently celibate, closeted gay man who listed cats as the love of his life and replied “looking out the window” to a question about his favorite journey, he was occasionally photographed on the streets of New York in majestic finery including a full-length raccoon coat. Gorey died in 2000 at age 75.
Gorey’s illustrations are understated, macabre, and fiercely funny. He did honor to childrens’ books, various animations and the many other genres of art and literature that he illustrated. Gorey revered George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet. The new biography is Born to Be Posthumous, by Mark Dery.
Event Horizon 