Memento Gorey

Seventeen previously unpublished interviews and over 250 photographs reveal the person behind the art and document Gorey's everyday life.

“Seufert paints a vibrant and lively picture of that man that I knew, not only through his previously unpublished interviews with Ted at his favorite places but also with the gloriously intimate photographs of Edward’s house and personal belongings . . . with Seufert’s book I get to relive Ted again as I knew him, witty, intelligent, and endlessly creative.”
—Peter F. Neumeyer, author of Floating Worlds: The Letters of Edward Gorey and coauthor with Gorey of Donald Has a Difficulty

This book offers a new window on the often-mysterious Gorey and captures many facets of his personality as he and the author worked together to produce the only Gorey documentary film that Gorey approved.

The conversations are personal and revealing, with Gorey (draped with cats) sprawled on a chair in his kitchen, chatting over a beer at a nearby tavern, or seated at his daily lunch café.

This material, chosen for public release with Gorey’s enthusiastic encouragement and cooperation before his death, features:

• 5 interviews with Gorey himself, including the last expressions of Gorey’s singular mind.

• 12 interviews with a wide variety of artists who worked with and were inspired by Gorey:

Julie Harris * Carol Verburg * Eric Edwards * Mark Romanek * Helen Pond * Andreas Brown * Daniel Handler * Paul Theroux * Neil Gaiman * Danny Elfman * Clifford Ross * Terry Gilliam

• Over 250 photos, previously unpublished, documenting Gorey’s daily life and his home as he lived in it, including his studio desk’s work in progress, his freezer's contents (including stuffed and preserved Figbashes), and the shelves of VHS tapes featuring his beloved television shows.

Going beyond the many books about his work, these images and conversations capture new insights about Gorey himself: the mind behind the renowned American icon of theater, illustration, writing, and bemusingly cryptic observations.