{"product_id":"born-to-be-posthumous-9780008329846","title":"Born to Be Posthumous","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe definitive biography of Edward Gorey, the eccentric master of macabre nonsense.'A genius book about a bookish genius' Daniel Handler, author of A Series of Unfortunate EventsFrom The Gashlycrumb Tinies to The Doubtful Guest, Edward Gorey''s wickedly funny and deliciously sinister little books have influenced our culture in innumerable ways, from the works of Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman to Lemony Snicket. Some even call him the Grandfather of Goth.But who was this man, who lived with over twenty thousand books and six cats, who roomed with Frank O''Hara at Harvard, and was known  in the late 1940s, no less  to traipse around in full-length fur coats, clanking bracelets, and an Edwardian beard? An eccentric, a gregarious recluse, an enigmatic auteur of whimsically morbid masterpieces, yes  but who was the real Edward Gorey behind the Oscar Wildean pose?He published over a hundred books and illustrated works by Samuel Beckett, T.S. Eliot, Edward Lear, John Updike, Charles Dickens, Hila\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Edward Gorey has been granted \u003cstrong\u003ethe most remarkable biography\u003c\/strong\u003e, one I believe he could have lived with. What was the likelihood that this singular genius could be restored, with such compassion and grace, within his whole context: Balanchine, surrealism, Frank O'Hara, Lady Murasaki, et al?’ Jonathan Lethem\u003c\/p\u003e           \u003cp\u003e‘Edward Gorey's ardent admirers have long known there is something about his work one can't quite pin down. Past all reason, Mark Dery has pinned it down. \u003cstrong\u003eA genius book about a bookish genius\u003c\/strong\u003e’ Daniel Handler, author of \u003cem\u003eA Series of Unfortunate Events\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e           \u003cp\u003e‘As a perfervid Goreyphile, I was a bit leery of a biography undertaking to spell out the details of his life. Did I really want to have the mystery solved? But Mark Dery drags the pond to revelatory result, contextualising and analysing Gorey, plunging into his obsessions, dissecting his sexuality, and even examining the philosophical import of nonsense while somehow managing to leave the central enigma radiantly intact. \u003cstrong\u003eThis is an absolutely riveting book about an utterly sui generis subject\u003c\/strong\u003e’ Alison Bechdel, author of \u003cem\u003eFun Home\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e           \u003cp\u003e‘Knowing Gorey’s full story, done sparkling justice by Mark Dery, \u003cstrong\u003ewill only make you adore him more\u003c\/strong\u003e’ Caitlin Doughty, author of \u003cem\u003eSmoke Gets In Your Eyes\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e           \u003cp\u003e‘\u003cstrong\u003eA devoted and highly readable biography\u003c\/strong\u003e of the illustrator who – from \u003cem\u003eThe Doubtful Guest\u003c\/em\u003e to \u003cem\u003eThe Curious Sofa\u003c\/em\u003e – defined and embodied a world of camp, gothic hilarity’ Ben Schott, \u003cem\u003eGuardian\u003c\/em\u003e Books of the Year\u003c\/p\u003e           \u003cp\u003e‘An entertaining account of an artist who liked to be coy with anybody who dared to write about him’ \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e           \u003cp\u003e'The best biographies are the result of a perfect match between author and subject, and it's relatively rare when the two align perfectly. But that's the case with \u003cem\u003eBorn to Be Posthumous\u003c\/em\u003e Dery's book is \u003cstrong\u003esmart, exhaustive and an absolute joy to read\u003c\/strong\u003e. He has given Gorey the biography he has long deserved' \u003cem\u003eNPR\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48863949095255,"sku":"9780008329846","price":12.28,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780008329846.jpg?v=1722269737","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/born-to-be-posthumous-9780008329846","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}