Biographer Mark Dery pays tribute to Edward Gorey on his birthday

Mark Dery, author of the gorgeously written, highly recommended biography of Edward Gorey, Born to be Posthumous, posted a wonderful little tribute on social media to the late writer, artist, and designer:

Happy Birthday, Edward Gorey, born this day in 1925. "The true artist is a man who believes absolutely in himself, because he is absolutely himself," said Oscar Wilde. Whatever else he was, Gorey was incomparably, unimprovably himself, a model of uncompromising (yet unaffected) originality. Dick Cavett gave voice to the thoughts of countless fans who, having fallen for Gorey's work, ended up equally smitten with the man behind it. "I have to tell you that I have total admiration for your work," confessed Cavett near the end of their interview, "and I think, also, for your lifestyle—that dreadful phrase. The idea that you live exactly as you want to. You do, apparently, a very satisfying kind of work. I find it just marvelous to look at, but I can imagine that it must be wonderful to do….And I'm talking, also, about the fact that if you want to go to the ballet 50 nights in a row, you do; if your work isn't ready by the time the publisher wants it to be, apparently this doesn't get you terribly upset. [O]f the thousands and thousands of kinds of lives there are to lead, most people opt for one or two of the best-known ones. And you have done exactly, as I see it, what you want to do."

UPDATE: Mark Dery will be answering your questions, about his book, Born to Be Posthumous, Gorey, or anything "that would make Edward cock a bemused eyebrow, in his saturnine but secretly amused way."

Image: Screengrab