By Bob Tedder • If you’re not particularly peculiar about a book’s format, reading a volume consisting of interviews plucked from print periodicals doesn’t sound odd at all. On the other hand, if you’re one of those peculiar folks whose reading consists only of periodicals you now have the perfect book. Editor Karen Wilkin’s eclectic assemblage of 20 interviews culled from diverse periodicals ranging from The New York Times to Cats Magazine is successfully melded into “Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey.”
As edited, this wondrous book becomes in essence an equally amazing autobiography of the legendary American author and artist. Describing Gorey’s contributions to America’s literary cultural landscape requires an exhausting survey of seemingly oxmoronic adjectives e.g. amusing – macabre, remarkable – mysterious, sombre – fascinating, profound – claustrophobic, or perhaps poetic – poisoned. If you’re not familiar with this gentleman click this link and take the two-and-a-half minutes necessary to examine one of his more famous offerings, “The Gashlycrumb Tinies.” You may be amused or appalled but I guarantee you will not suffer Neville’s fate. Nor will you when you read this book.
In his own words Gorey provides an intimate portrait of a complex and idiosyncratic personality. Among many things he was a balletophile and regularly attended the New York City Ballet. Regularly is a misnomer – during the season he attended all performances, prompting one reviewer to ask, “How can anyone sit through 39 Nutcrackers in one season?” Although not the answer to this particular question, Gorey offers a glimpse of what repetitive viewings offer, noting he often turns off in Swan Lake “… when the corps de ballet is thrashing through it and running about.” He also had an affectation for opera but it didn’t include an excessive tuxedo overhead. His standard attire when attending consisted of a long fur coat and tennis shoes.
If you consider it unwise to frame a man based on the above singular anecdote feel free to check out the Paw’s copy of the book. After all, you never can tell when the million-dollar question will be, “How many Tony awards did Edward Gorey win?”