Making an effort to post a review every Friday!

Born to be Posthumous: The Eccentric Life and Mysterious Genius of Edward Gorey by Mark Dery

I am no biography reader. It’s not that I dislike biographies for any given reason, it’s that I can’t read them quickly and I tend to enjoy things I read that I can get sucked into. It would be unusual for me to want to talk about a biography except that this is about Edward Gorey.

It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that I would want to talk about Edward Gorey, and that I would like to do it a lot, at length, alienating those around me. This book, Born to be Posthumous in particular, is considered a definitive biography on Gorey—delving into the innerworkings of Gorey’s career and personal life in magnificent detail and with a very sentimental and thoughtful approach that peels back to hint at several layers of a man who was purposely effuse.

I had always appreciated Gorey as a creator but now I can say definitively that there isn’t an aspect of this man’s career that I’m not envious of, but also there is a great deal of his life which I hold in common. Moreso, I can say that while I am deeply saddened I would never be able to meet the man, I can add proudly that he would have found me remarkably obnoxious.

I’m truly not a biography reader, but I could speak to Dery’s writing and tone which is respectful, familiar, and just a bit tongue and cheek, giving the reader the full impression. The research done, especially into literary styles and aesthetic is impeccable and appeals to a nerd like me.

I couldn’t say more about it without sounding like a fourth grade book report, so I would instead just encourage you: read this book.