As Edward Imagined: A Story of Edward Gorey in Three Acts

by Matthew Burgess, Marc Majewski (Illustrator)

Overview

From an acclaimed author and illustrator team, here is a definitive picture book biography about a true original and creative genius: Edward Gorey.

A NEW YORK TIMES/NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST ILLUSTRATED CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR!

Discover the unique childhood and life of the enigmatic and eccentric Edward Gorey whose artwork and books had a profound impact on creators such as Neil Gaiman, Lemony Snicket, and Tim Burton.

Even as a young boy, readers learn that Edward constantly forged his own path, passions, and pursuits never forsaking his individuality for fame.This brilliant picture book biography is paired with a whimsical art style that captures the unrelenting creativity Edward brought to his playfully macabre creations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781984893802
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	09/17/2024
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD980L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Matthew Burgess is a poet, educator, and the author of many picture books including Words With Wings and Magic Things, As Edward Imagined: A Story of Edward Gorey in Three Acts, Bird Boy, and The Bear and The Moon. His books have garnered starred reviews, a Eureka! Gold Award for Excellence in Nonfiction and spots on best-of lists from the New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist and Amazon. A associate professor of literature and creative writing at Brooklyn College, Matthew has been a poet-in-residence in New York City public schools and currently serves as senior editor of Teachers & Writers Magazine.

Marc Majewski is a French author-illustrator based in Berlin. After obtaining a degree in literature and arts, he studied illustration and painting for two years. His picture books include, Does Earth Feel?, and Butterfly Child.

Editorial Reviews

2024-05-31
Anecdotes arranged, verselike, in three acts honor the enigmatic Edward Gorey (1925-2000): iconic artist, writer, voracious collector, and lover of cats.

Act One examines Edward’s precocious childhood: He drew at 18 months, taught himself to read at 3 and a half, and devouredDracula just before turning 6. Whether creating his own books or walking through downtown Chicago barefoot, toenails painted green, Edward expressed his originality early. Act Two examines Gorey’s decades in New York City, where he illustrated others’ books and wrote his own indelibly unique tales. He attended the New York City Ballet’s productions religiously. His books, embodying his “deliciously sinister sense of humor,” gained a growing following. His sets and costume design for the Broadway production ofDracula yielded fame and a Tony. Gorey eschewed celebrity, however, using his earnings from the show to buy a house on Cape Cod. Act Three explores his time there, writing, drawing, tending his six cats, taking part in community theater productions, and prodigiously collecting books and objects ranging from teddy bears to skeletons. Burgess relishes Gorey’s contentment and celebrates his singular artistic achievements. “He lived his life precisely as he wished,” and his books’ strange denizens live on, “just as Edward imagined.” In playful, expressionistic tableaux, Majewski depicts cityscapes, book-stuffed interiors, vibrant stages, selected Gorey characters, and the seaside ease of his final years.

An admiring, and admirable, tribute to an iconoclastic artist. (author’s note, further reading, quotation citations, chronology, photograph, reproductions of Gorey’s work)(Picture-book biography. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews

★ "Prolific and one-of-a-kind, [Edward] Gorey stands out from these pages as profoundly fulfilled—a figure of unwavering authenticity and creativity." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "For children intent on marching to the beat of a different drummer and needing some encouragement to keep that beat...Required reading for independent spirits—not to mention any future fans of Lemony Snicket, Tim Burton, or practically any other modern writer or artist of Gothic bent." —School Library Journal, starred review

"Majewski’s illustrations, acrylic paintings on paper, are created in a refreshingly childlike style. An original picture-book biography featuring a brilliant individual who was a widely admired artist." —Booklist

"An admiring, and admirable, tribute to an iconoclastic artist." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher