This week marks the would-have-been centennial birthday of Edward Gorey! So, I am bringing you a look into the wonderful world of Gorey, which is at once witty, weird, whimsical, and wondrously woe-ful (if you can imagine such contradictions).

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Poetic Sundays: The Wonderful Weird World of Edward Gorey

Gorey once said that his mission in life was “to make everybody as uneasy as possible,” and when one reads/sees his works, it’s clear he succeeded—though in a twistedly delightful way. Gorey wrote poems, tales, letters, and musings, and of course, illustrated many gems (his own and others stories too).

Stepping Into the Gorey World

Exploring his works means stepping into a world that is equal parts witty, wonderful, and wonderfully weird. My first introduction to Gorey was as an illustrator in T. S. Eliot’s delightful Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, followed by his contribution to the poetry anthology, You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You. But it was when I stumbled upon his poems, like The Gashlycrumb Tinies, that I truly began to appreciate the dark brilliance of his work. Though undeniably morbid, it’s also marvelous, such that you can’t help but marvel at the mind that wrote it!

Gorey’s illustrations pull you in, whether in his own books or the many others he illustrated, and his signature crosshatched style reveals a depth of detail that gives us a peek into his quirky, whimsical, imaginative mind.

Beyond the Macabre

Yet, Gorey’s creativity goes beyond the macabre (a word he apparently didn’t much care for). His works also feature whimsical, charming, offbeat, and surprisingly lighthearted or tender and thoughtful moments, like in The Osbick Bird or The Doubtful Guest.

There are also works where Gorey penned the words but didn’t illustrate them, such as the Fletcher and Zenobia series, which definitely are not as dark, and which showcase his sharp wit in written form. Then there are others that feature only his brilliant illustrations, like Category (can be a great gift for cat lovers, along with Gorey’s illustrated version of T. S. Eliot’s book!)

Each of his works offer yet another way to experience his unique creative vision—whether through his clever writing or his captivating artwork or both.

The Wit, Weirdness, and Whimsy of Gorey

A few whimsical and weird facts about Edward Gorey:

• He wrote under many pseudonyms, all anagrams of his name!!
• Gorey learned to read (by himself) at age three!!
• His work features on billboards, play bills, book covers, theater sets, and more, including this intro to the PBS Mystery series.

• He won the Tony for his work on the theatrical adaptation of Dracula
• Gorey was a collector (maybe even a hoarder) of things, and among his collectibles were driftwood, decorative rocks, puppets, iron tools, and of course, an estimated 25000 books!

“Life is intrinsically, well, boring and dangerous at the same time. At any given moment the floor may open up. Of course, it almost never does; that’s what makes it so boring.” – Edward Gorey

“The helpful thought for which you look
Is written somewhere in a book.”
― Edward Gorey

“What is, is, and what might have been could never have existed.” – Edward Gorey

“More and more, I think you should have no expectations and do everything for its own sake. That way you won’t be hit in the head quite so frequently.” – Edward Gorey

Words Inspired by Gorey

In a world of shadows, strange and sweet,
Where whimsy and darkness meet,
Edward’s pen, a twisted guide,
Shows us where both sides reside.
Gorey’s art, a curious sight,
Where dark tales dance with de-light.
So let’s step into this now and here,
And laugh at what we might fear.

~ Vidya @ LadyInReadWrites

References, h/t, and Further Reading:

• 12 Surprising Facts About Edward Gorey (PBS)
• Edward Gorey (Britannica and Wikipedia)
• Ghastly and great: 100 years of Edward Gorey
• The mysterious, macabre mind of Edward Gorey (BBC)
• Check out more about Gorey at The Edward Gorey House website.

More Gore-y to Explore

Here are a few more Gorey books I loved (including those he wrote, illustrated, and books about him)

• Amphigorey: Fifteen Books
• Nonsense! the Curious Story of Edward Gorey by Lori Mortensen with art by Chloe Bristol (Picture Book Biographies | 4 – 7 years, and up)
• The Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey: Rare Drawings, Scripts, and Stories by Carol Verburg (Individual Artist Monographs). Reading this now…
• Thoughtful Alphabets: The Just Dessert and the Deadly Blotter
• The Utter Zoo: An Alphabet

and some others I am definitely going to check out as soon as I can (including a few biographies and works inspired by Gorey):

• As Edward Imagined: A Story of Edward Gorey in Three Acts by Matthew Burgess with art by Marc Majewski (Picture Book Biographies | 4 – 8 years, and up)
• E Is for Edward: A Centennial Celebration of the Mischievous Mind of Edward Gorey by The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust and Gregory Hischak (Art History). This one is releasing later this year, in September.
• From Ted to Tom: The Illustrated Envelopes of Edward Gorey by Edward Gorey edited by Tom Fitzharris (Literary Letters). A collection of envelopes sent by Gorey to his friend Tom, this book is sure to be a joy to read!
• The Haunted Looking Glass. This is a collection of Gorey’s favorite stories with his illustrations!
• Uneasy Elixirs: 50 Curious Cocktails Inspired by the Works of Edward Gorey by Virginia Miller. Another book that has me curious for sure and coming October 2025.
• And last, but not the least, Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey

Recently

On the Homefront and Elsewhere

The Cybils winners were announced on February 14th so don’t forget to check out the winners list on the Cybils website! At home, just the regular routines as DH has been down with a cough for the whole week and beyond.

On My Blog

Here are the posts since my last Sunday Scribblings

• From Dangerous Liaisons to the Invisible String of Love and More
• A February Reading List: Black Voices, Library Magic and More
• All the Wonderful Books that Fit Under My Umbrella
• Sunday Scribblings #211: Under My Umbrella of New -s

Upcoming

On My Blog and Homefront

We are staying home this long weekend (thankfully, this gives the hubby more time to recover from that nasty cough). And our son, who first planned to be here, couldn’t for he had a lot of school work to catch up on. So it is just us taking it easy this weekend.

For the coming week, hope to bring a couple of posts out to the world and talk about books (as always) and more.

This Week’s Celebrations

Literary Celebrations (close-to-it also!)

• Literary birthdays this week of February include: Andre Norton, Meena Alexander, and Dorothy Canfield Fisher on the 17th; Lisa See and Toni Morrison on February 18th;  Helen Fielding, Marissa Meyer, and Ryū Murakami on Fen 19th; Richard Matheson and Sally Rooney on the 20th of February; Anais Nin, Chuck Palahniuk, Erma Bombeck, W.H. Auden on the 21st of February; Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edward Gorey on the 22nd; W.E.B. Du Bois and Francesca Simon on the 23rd
• Clean Out Your Bookcase Day is observed on February 20th
• It is International Mother Language Day on the 21st of February
• World Thinking Day is on the 22nd of February. This year’s theme is “Our Story: Reflecting the symbolism and values of our Movement” 
• The 23rd celebrates a nosy holiday, it is Pinocchio Day!

Foodie Celebrations

• February 17th is National Cabbage Day and National Cafe au Lait Day. It also marks the start of National Pancake Week (so I am guessing I will be attempting to make a few different ones this week!)
• Followed by National Drink Wine Day on the 18th of February
• February 19th is National Chocolate Mint Day
• Then the 20th of February brings us National Cherry Pie Day and National Muffin Day
• While Feb 21st is National Grain-Free Day and National Sticky Bun Day, as well as No One Eats Alone Day
• Followed by National Cook a Sweet Potato Day and National Margarita Day on the 22nd of February
• And something I have not made for way too long now – it is  National Banana Bread Day on the 23rd

Other Celebrations

• February 17th is National Random Acts of Kindness Day, and of course, Presidents Day as well here in the USA
• While the 18th of Feb is World Whale Day.
• It is Family Day on the 19th of February as well as Tug of War Day.
• The 20th observes World Anthropology Day, World Day of Social Justice, National Love Your Pet Day, National Comfy Day, and National Leadership Day.
• The 21st is Card Reading Day. So go ahead, get out those old cards from loved ones you have collected over the years and cherish those memories.
• Founders Day Scouts on the 22nd of February honors Lord Baden-Powell and his wife Olave (who was the first Chief Girl Guide!!). It is also Single Tasking Day and Be Humble Day
• On the 23rd, it is World Peace and Understanding Day and National Rationalization Day

Wrapping up my Sunday Scribblings

So dear reader, you have reached the end of this Sunday Scribblings! As always, I welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions about this post. And do let me know if you plan to celebrate any of these mentioned celebrations this coming week/month?

Linking this to the Sunday Post over at the Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Salon