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Loading... The Unstrung Harpby Edward Gorey
I understand that this was Gorey's first book and, like his heroine Agatha Christie's creation of Ariadine Oliver seems slightly autobiographical as well as universal. There's a great deal more prose than I would usually expect from the master, but it doesn't matter, the illustrations are superb and Gorey's dark humour is evident. (  ) riverwillow | Aug 19, 2012 |  My first Gorey. It seemed a true true when I got it, and is still endearing. ( ) Esta1923 | Nov 1, 2011 | The Unstrung Harp is classic Edward Gorey, full of Victorian Gothic trappings, a vaguely sinister plot, and (in this case) "the unspeakable horror of the literary life". As always, Gorey's protagonist is nervous, isolated, and endlessly full of doubt - few authors capture the notion of lives lived in "quiet desperation" as well as Edward Gorey does. But there's enough humor and absurdity in these pages to keep it all from being too melodramatic. In the end, this is classic Edward Gorey, and every bit as rewarding as the very best of his work. (  ) dr_zirk | Nov 28, 2009 | amazon PD: Perhaps one of his most autobiographical works, "The Unstrung Harp" is a look at the literary life and its 'attendant woes: isolation, writer's block, professional jealousy, and plain boredom.' But as with all of Edward Gorey's books, "TUH" is also about life in general, with its anguish, turnips, conjunctions, illness, defeat, string, parties, no parties, desuetude, fever, tides, labels, mourning, elsewards. Finally, "TUH" is about Edward Gorey the writer, about Edward Gorey writing "The Unstrung Harp". Originally published in 1953, it's a small masterpiece. He asldo illustrated the book.  edella | Jul 28, 2009 | Gorey at his most verbose. He never did any other long work. We can be grateful for the one long form he did. The subject is a writer with writer's block of the eponymous book (TUH). At one point, after a lot of moping, he takes a tram into town and absently rummages through some used books hoping to run into one of his own books discarded, perhaps by someone to whom he inscribed it. I wonder if Mr.Earbuss would have the wit of George Bernard Shaw who, when he found a book of his signed to someone, "With compliments, GBS", bought it and sent it back to the guy, writing "With renewed compliments, GBS" below the original dedication.. In the art you encounter strange figbash looking things in glass belljars which he buys for no good reason. Mr.earbuss is certainly Gorey's alter ego. ( )1  sthitha_pragjna | Jun 7, 2006 | no reviews | add a review Is contained in
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