The Strange Case of Edward Gorey

Theroux's biography of the eccentric illustrator Edward Gorey, who died in 2000 at 75, provides a privileged glimpse into the life of that most mysterious of eclectic geniuses. Less a biography I suppose than a rambling appreciation, a compendium of his eccentricities, there is much here to puzzle the fan who only knew him from his most well known collection, Amphigorey.
An extremely private man who nonetheless created a buzz wherever he appeared – dressed in full length fur coats, beringed and bedazzled attending the ballet as he did night after night. He seemed to have few friends but was well loved by those he did have, including the author. His tastes were puzzling and conflicting. His knowledge encyclopedic.
I finished this book show more saddened that there will not be any new Gorey books to look forward to, but encouraged that he was so prolific and that his work will continue to be republished in years to come. show less

Alexander Theroux with his eccentricities is the perfect writer to introduce a stranger to the world of Edward Gorey. Like Theophile Gautier's haunting monograph on Gerard de Nerval, this short biograph is the fruitful insight of a friend and fellow traveler in the world of Oddness and the Obscure.

Gorey, who died in 2000, at age 75, is sometimes mistaken to be a Victorian era illustrator and author, by those who have only a passing familiarity with his style - gleaned perhaps from a calendar, greeting card, or poster. His canon of work, however, primarily consists of short, grim, ironic stories which are inevitably set in eerie prosceniums with backdops of late 19th century wallpapers, impossibly high ceilings, and elaborate costumes, show more or if outdoors, with dark woods and hovering creatures. Usually there is some innocent at risk, and some dark twist about to transpire. Both Amphigorey and Amphigorey Too are excellent compilations of his work, and perfect to have on hand when Theroux discusses his friend's influences and style. The Gilded Bat is perhaps one of the most perfect of Gorey's stories, representing his passion for ballet, and presenting his exquisitely honed pessimism.

One of the shared interests of Theroux and Gorey and a subject of frequent conversations was each's love of cinema. The book is worth having for the list of Gorey's favorite films and his most loathed. Names like Feuillade, Franju, and Tallulah Bankhead can lead one off on rich Wikipedian side journeys. Gorey's reading interests, such as ALL of Trollope, and Ivy Compton-Burnette and Ronald Firbank, are a similarly fascinating vein to mine.

One of Theroux's characteristic traits, familiar to anyone who has read one of his novels, is his attention to detail. Theroux has an ability to compile lists that are facile and fascinating to peruse. This serves him well in portraying the enigmatic Gorey who wrapped himself in irony as thick as his characteristic floor length fur coats. In summation, Theroux has produced a short but richly rewarding and loving sketch of a masterful artist and storyteller. show less

You can read my entire discussion here: http://ireadoddbooks.com/the-strange-case-of-edward-gorey-by-alexander-theroux/

Review snippet: This book has interesting moments but they are few and far between, and those moments are generally content that will not be new to long-term Gorey fans. Still, it was pleasant being reminded of how eccentric Gorey was, how he eventually stopped wearing fur because of his love of animals, how he sewed stuffed animals by hand as he watched television, how he would do work for anyone who asked, even those who could pay very little.

But after one admits that this book has some charm, one can only list its many problems. The first is that in the first fifteen pages, Theroux manages to write in a way that is show more so alienating that a casual reader might be tempted to give up. I am a reasonably intelligent woman who has devoted my adult life to reading. I fancy that if a reasonably well-educated person with a devotion to books found Theroux’s verbiage cumbersome, then it is safe to say it was, in fact, too much for a biography of a beloved pop culture icon. But who knows? Perhaps the words enchiridion, coloraturas, the French phrase le cercle lugubrieux, and karfreutagian have slipped into the common lexicon without me noticing. If not, they were odd word choices in a biography such as this. This is not the sort of book that can tolerate the interruptions that come when the reader is forced to put the book down in order to look up words and French phrases. But luckily Theroux stops showing off so egregiously around page 15. Still, not a good beginning. show less

I was always was a fan of Gorey - from my first viewing of the opening sequence of "Mystery!" to grisly and morose books that pepper my bookshelf. This book was less of a biography and more of a critique/analysis or memorial of his work, ethos and personality. It was a strange book. It rambled from comparison to personal reflection to memories and quips of Gorey's personal life. Odd little facets came to light throughout the book, painting a picture of a character created through years of splendid isolation, nonchalant irony and token friendships.

This book is randomly sectioned off into few-page chunks, and each section reads like an alternate version of every/any other section. Many contain wonderful stories or asides about Gorey, but they're often colored with the same supporting anecdotes. For example, I'm 2/3 through and some variation of 'how someone could like [sophisticated thing] AND have every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on VHS, I will never know.' has appeared 4, maybe even 5 times.

There are some weird, out-of-the-blue statements about homosexuality ('somethingsomethingsomething, which may just be a thing homosexuals do, I'm not sure') which fall really flat. I'm not going into it, but I noticed. And grimaced.

Theroux was Gorey's neighbor, so has a great show more insight here. I actually liked the original version of this book. It had the same problems, but was shorter so more tolerable. A comic book company published it, so the lack of structure and typos were...quirky? Or quirky-seeming, at least. This version is the 'expanded re-edited' one, though, so the repetitive material and truly shitty editing is grosser. show less

See my review at: http://www.woodentigress.blogspot.com/2011/03/strange-case-of-alexander-theroux-...