Edward Gorey

Edward St. John Gorey was born on February 22, 1925 in Chicago, Illinois. After spending a couple of years in the army, Gorey enrolled at Harvard University where he studied French and was roommates with poet Frank O’Hare. After graduating, he worked as an illustrator for Doubleday Publishing in New York City. Known for his dark and sometimes morbid illustrations, Gorey worked on anything from Bram Stoker’s Dracula to H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds.

Gorey published his first work, The Unstrung Harp, in 1953. He put out more than 100 books, a lot of which did not have words. Many of his books were published under pseudonyms.

Gorey also wrote screenplays, even some using papier-mâché puppets in his home. His macabre sensibility, wit and imaginative themes earned Gorey a cult following. His work is a mix of cartoon, illustration, art and imagination.  All of his works that I saw were beautifully detailed pen and ink drawings.

Gorey lived a somewhat solitary life in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. He called his house there the Elephant House, which is now a gallery. He died on April 15, 2000.