Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Pomegranate (2011), Edition: 1st Edition, 256 pages
Description
Edward Gorey and Peter Neumeyer met in the summer of 1968. Gorey had been contracted by Addison-Wesley to illustrate ¿Donald and the¿,¿ a children¿s story written by Neumeyer. On their first encounter, Neumeyer managed to dislocate Gorey¿s shoulder when he grabbed his arm to keep him from falling into the ocean. In a hospital waiting room, they pored over Gorey¿s drawings for the first time together, and Gorey infused the situation with much hilarity. This was the beginning of an invigorating friendship, fueled by a wealth of letters and postcards that sped between the two men through the fall of 1969. Those letters, published here for the first time, are remarkable for their quantity and their content. While the creative collaborations of Gorey and Neumeyer centered on children¿s books, they held wide-ranging interests; both were erudite, voracious readers, and they sent each other many volumes. Through their discussions of these books, one marvels at the beauty of thoughtful (and merry) discourse driven by intellectual curiosity. The letters also paint an intimate portrait of Edward Gorey, a man often mischaracterized as macabre or even ghoulish. His gentleness, humility, and brilliance¿interwoven with his distinctive humor¿shine in each letter; his deft artistic hand is evident on the decorated envelopes addressed to Neumeyer, thirty-eight of which are reproduced here.… (more)
Media reviews
Vanity Fair
“A wondrous trove of letters and sketches between Edward Gorey and Peter F. Neumeyer connect the Floating Worlds (Pomegranate) of these inspired collaborators; enchanting and witty and sparkling with intellectual banter, the book illustrates their artistic process and stands as a moving memoir of
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friendship." Show Less
Publishers Weekly
One of Publishers Weekly's Top 10 Books for Fall 2011 (Literary Essays & Criticism category)
User reviews
LibraryThing member guyalice
It’s a blessing that Pomegranate has begun to publish Edward Gorey books and related curios, as they’ve produced such handsome editions of works by one of my favorite illustrators. Now they’ve published Floating Words, the correspondences between Gorey and author Peter F. Neumeyer (who also
This work is not only a great find for Gorey fans, but also for those interested in how the creative process works. The letters capture Neumeyer and Gorey’s personalities and friendship as they collaborated and commiserated. Sadly their correspondence ended after about 13 months, as the two men became engrossed in other projects, but during this short time they wrote often and they wrote lengthily. This collection is also an elegy for the lost art and necessity of letter-writing.
A great bonus of this book is that they are constantly talking about and recommending books to each other, so any bibliophile will be sure to find some crackling rarities from these two eclectic men. Keep a notepad and pen handy as you read! The book also features some of Gorey’s fantastic and unique drawings, including layouts and sketches for the Donald books. There is also the delightful “STOEJGNPF,” a delightful amphibian-tapir-dog amalgam that Gorey drew on his envelopes.
This is a charming find, especially for those who wanted to know more about the inner workings of the enigmatic Edward Gory, or simply for people interested in an account of inspiration and collaboration.
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edited this collection) as they collaborated on three books, Donald and the…, Donald has a Difficulty, and Why We Have Day and Night. This work is not only a great find for Gorey fans, but also for those interested in how the creative process works. The letters capture Neumeyer and Gorey’s personalities and friendship as they collaborated and commiserated. Sadly their correspondence ended after about 13 months, as the two men became engrossed in other projects, but during this short time they wrote often and they wrote lengthily. This collection is also an elegy for the lost art and necessity of letter-writing.
A great bonus of this book is that they are constantly talking about and recommending books to each other, so any bibliophile will be sure to find some crackling rarities from these two eclectic men. Keep a notepad and pen handy as you read! The book also features some of Gorey’s fantastic and unique drawings, including layouts and sketches for the Donald books. There is also the delightful “STOEJGNPF,” a delightful amphibian-tapir-dog amalgam that Gorey drew on his envelopes.
This is a charming find, especially for those who wanted to know more about the inner workings of the enigmatic Edward Gory, or simply for people interested in an account of inspiration and collaboration.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Fox_Lane
I hadn’t progressed too far into ‘Floating Worlds’ before the thought struck me that it will represent something of a disappointment for some Gorey fans. Not least because it presents the artist and author behind some of the most sinister tales of the 20th century as, by turns, whimsical,
In recent years his desolate Gothic vision has seeped into the fringes of popular culture just as, to use a suitably Gorey-esque metaphor, a long undiscovered body might seep into a mattress. I seem to find myself spotting his influence at every turn these days. It runs rich in the artwork of children’s illustrator David Roberts (particularly in his ‘Tales of Terror’ series), through the more adult oriented comics of Tom Gauld and across the entire cannon of Tim Burton’s work, nowhere more so than in his collection of brief, dark tales, ‘The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy’. What’s more, if you wish to see Gorey’s singular vision made flesh you could do worse than seek out the video for Nine Inch Nails’ ‘The Perfect Drug’, for which director Mark Romanek admittedly pillaged the Gorey archive. But whilst they may see echoes of his work everywhere, fans of Gorey’s dark, singular creations found themselves struck by a lack of source material about the man himself. Gorey was far from a gregarious self-publicist and interviews, though they were granted, were few and far between.
Up until now the most complete source available to the Gorey faithful was, neighbour of Gorey, Alexander Theroux’s slim “The Strange Case of Edward Gorey” volume, offering a biographical account of his varied career as an artist and writer as well as his time in the theatre (where he won a Tony award for his costume design in Frank Langella’s 1977 Broadway production of ‘Dracula’) but little in the way of what makes the man tick. Neumeyer’s book, a collection of correspondence between himself and Gorey over their 13 month period of collaboration (leading to the production of 3 books) between 1968 & 1969 not only provides many insights but also images of the illustrated letters and envelopes he received, many of which Gorey fans would (surely in an appropriately ghastly way) kill for.
Gorey and Neumeyer’s friendship is a delight to observe and serves as an excellent way to get under Gorey’s skin. His letters are gleefully eccentric creations and read like head scratching daydreams splashed directly from brain to page, revealing his varying appetites for literature, art, Zen gardening and pancakes. Most of these letters display a humble, apologetic and almost deferential tone, never wishing to offend and nearly always doubling back on themselves as if to see off any potential cause of upset. Neumeyer ends up being very much the straight man for Gorey’s meandering, conversational efforts, which flit from subject to subject with a spritely energy. For a Gorey obsessive like myself they are like so much cake thrust toward a greedy, capacious boy.
Sadly the correspondence eventually ebbs away to a few succinct efforts with Gorey struggling under a sea of other work and a lurking disappointment at unpublished Gorey/Neumeyer volumes before dropping off entirely. Whilst this must have been a tough thing to cope with at the time it appears that Neumeyer regards their brief period of contact and collaboration to have been a great joy and a privilege. Having reached the end of this collection I can only add that reading about it was too.
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warm hearted and generous.In recent years his desolate Gothic vision has seeped into the fringes of popular culture just as, to use a suitably Gorey-esque metaphor, a long undiscovered body might seep into a mattress. I seem to find myself spotting his influence at every turn these days. It runs rich in the artwork of children’s illustrator David Roberts (particularly in his ‘Tales of Terror’ series), through the more adult oriented comics of Tom Gauld and across the entire cannon of Tim Burton’s work, nowhere more so than in his collection of brief, dark tales, ‘The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy’. What’s more, if you wish to see Gorey’s singular vision made flesh you could do worse than seek out the video for Nine Inch Nails’ ‘The Perfect Drug’, for which director Mark Romanek admittedly pillaged the Gorey archive. But whilst they may see echoes of his work everywhere, fans of Gorey’s dark, singular creations found themselves struck by a lack of source material about the man himself. Gorey was far from a gregarious self-publicist and interviews, though they were granted, were few and far between.
Up until now the most complete source available to the Gorey faithful was, neighbour of Gorey, Alexander Theroux’s slim “The Strange Case of Edward Gorey” volume, offering a biographical account of his varied career as an artist and writer as well as his time in the theatre (where he won a Tony award for his costume design in Frank Langella’s 1977 Broadway production of ‘Dracula’) but little in the way of what makes the man tick. Neumeyer’s book, a collection of correspondence between himself and Gorey over their 13 month period of collaboration (leading to the production of 3 books) between 1968 & 1969 not only provides many insights but also images of the illustrated letters and envelopes he received, many of which Gorey fans would (surely in an appropriately ghastly way) kill for.
Gorey and Neumeyer’s friendship is a delight to observe and serves as an excellent way to get under Gorey’s skin. His letters are gleefully eccentric creations and read like head scratching daydreams splashed directly from brain to page, revealing his varying appetites for literature, art, Zen gardening and pancakes. Most of these letters display a humble, apologetic and almost deferential tone, never wishing to offend and nearly always doubling back on themselves as if to see off any potential cause of upset. Neumeyer ends up being very much the straight man for Gorey’s meandering, conversational efforts, which flit from subject to subject with a spritely energy. For a Gorey obsessive like myself they are like so much cake thrust toward a greedy, capacious boy.
Sadly the correspondence eventually ebbs away to a few succinct efforts with Gorey struggling under a sea of other work and a lurking disappointment at unpublished Gorey/Neumeyer volumes before dropping off entirely. Whilst this must have been a tough thing to cope with at the time it appears that Neumeyer regards their brief period of contact and collaboration to have been a great joy and a privilege. Having reached the end of this collection I can only add that reading about it was too.
Show Less
LibraryThing member sthitha_pragjna
"Floating Worlds The Letters of Edward Gorey & Peter F.Neumeyer" is the eponymous collection edited by Neumeyer and sumptuously produced by Pomegranate. It is a valuable addition to the library of any Goreyophile.
Peter Neumeyer and Edward Gorey collaborated between 1968 and 1970 on such works (in
The high-quality hardcover production by Pomegranate runs to 256 pages, illustrated in color. The correspondence covered all of Gorey's pursuits. Peter Neumeyer who was at the time teaching at Harvard and at SUNY Stony Brook, sent him books (German literature, Victorian poets, Noam Chomsky, turgid tomes on social science of school administration), all of which Gorey "remarkably did read, and responded with the wit and insight and every appearance of interest."
Gorey saw a legendary number of films, had an obsession with attending the ballet ("Apart from the usual eight ballet performances, nothing seems to have happened or been accomplished [this week]".) "And then the reading," says Neumeyer, "Ted once expressed surprise at what all he imagined I had read, but it was obviously no contest- none at all. In French or in English, Ted had become an enthusiast of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Isadora duncan, Isabelle Eberhardt, Ono no Komachi, Mrs. Inchbald, Yasumari Kawabata, Jacob Abbott, Dorothy Wordsworth, Lady Murasaki, Daisy Ashford, Amanda Ross and "Violent Pageant" (i.e., Violet Lee Paget).
The true Gorey fan will be interested, in passing, that he thought of his own "The Unstrung Harp" as "juvenilia" ("I was twenty-eight at the time... mostly because I dislike the overly eccentric style of the drawing, which I did for years and years and thought I would never get out of, and then I think despite the fact that it was in a sense written to order, though no one told me what to write about, it is somewhat maudlin, by which I suppose I mean personal, even if it only about being an artist.") Wow.
In another telling insight, Gorey writes "Wallpaper is my bete noir. I put aside The Hapless Child after about three drawings for several years because I couldn't face the notion of drawing any more wallpaper." He concludes with this paragraph. "If you don't understand most of this letter, you may ask questions."
Accompanying this letter is a picture of the envelope where Mr. Neumeyer's name and address are penned in a red balloon coming mysteriously out of a spout-like speaker-phone on a coffin-like box floating on some rough seas with a single fish leaping out of the water.
Throughout the letters, we get not only a sense of what interests held these two men in common, but also a sense of the slow, shy manner in which Gorey increasingly shared his artistic output and creation for feedback and comment. In terms of impish humor, we have numerous samples, including an imagined advertisement against smoking, a Gorey limerick.
Finally, this reviewer would like to add that "Donald and the ..." and the planning of the drawing on the last page forms a key part of the correspondence between the collaborators, which I urge Gorey fans to check out by buying the book.
Peter Neumeyer and Edward Gorey collaborated between 1968 and 1970 on such works (in
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reverse chronological order) as "Why we have day and night" (illustrated on pitch black pages with lines and letters of white, and bug-eaten fruit in orange), "Donald has a Difficulty", "Donald and the ..." (the latter two productions being in the more accustomed Gorey style, upholstery and rugs and print dresses and window drapes). They also became friends and maintained a long, strange and wonderful correspondence. Gorey would send postcards and multi-page typewritten letters, the cards and envelopes bearing the most Goreyesque paintings. These hand-addressed covers and cards are reproduced in this book of their correspondence. Says Peter Neumeyer, "I would always wait expectantly for these letters because most were enclosed in beautiful, Goreyesquely painted envelopes, some of these being preliminary drafts for a book we were working on. On one, there is a lovely painting of Donald hanging on to an umbrella, windblown into future adventures. Occasionally there would be a postcard-merely a piece of dental floss scotch-taped to the card, or an anchovy label or theater stub. Heaven only knows what the mailman thought."The high-quality hardcover production by Pomegranate runs to 256 pages, illustrated in color. The correspondence covered all of Gorey's pursuits. Peter Neumeyer who was at the time teaching at Harvard and at SUNY Stony Brook, sent him books (German literature, Victorian poets, Noam Chomsky, turgid tomes on social science of school administration), all of which Gorey "remarkably did read, and responded with the wit and insight and every appearance of interest."
Gorey saw a legendary number of films, had an obsession with attending the ballet ("Apart from the usual eight ballet performances, nothing seems to have happened or been accomplished [this week]".) "And then the reading," says Neumeyer, "Ted once expressed surprise at what all he imagined I had read, but it was obviously no contest- none at all. In French or in English, Ted had become an enthusiast of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Isadora duncan, Isabelle Eberhardt, Ono no Komachi, Mrs. Inchbald, Yasumari Kawabata, Jacob Abbott, Dorothy Wordsworth, Lady Murasaki, Daisy Ashford, Amanda Ross and "Violent Pageant" (i.e., Violet Lee Paget).
The true Gorey fan will be interested, in passing, that he thought of his own "The Unstrung Harp" as "juvenilia" ("I was twenty-eight at the time... mostly because I dislike the overly eccentric style of the drawing, which I did for years and years and thought I would never get out of, and then I think despite the fact that it was in a sense written to order, though no one told me what to write about, it is somewhat maudlin, by which I suppose I mean personal, even if it only about being an artist.") Wow.
In another telling insight, Gorey writes "Wallpaper is my bete noir. I put aside The Hapless Child after about three drawings for several years because I couldn't face the notion of drawing any more wallpaper." He concludes with this paragraph. "If you don't understand most of this letter, you may ask questions."
Accompanying this letter is a picture of the envelope where Mr. Neumeyer's name and address are penned in a red balloon coming mysteriously out of a spout-like speaker-phone on a coffin-like box floating on some rough seas with a single fish leaping out of the water.
Throughout the letters, we get not only a sense of what interests held these two men in common, but also a sense of the slow, shy manner in which Gorey increasingly shared his artistic output and creation for feedback and comment. In terms of impish humor, we have numerous samples, including an imagined advertisement against smoking, a Gorey limerick.
Finally, this reviewer would like to add that "Donald and the ..." and the planning of the drawing on the last page forms a key part of the correspondence between the collaborators, which I urge Gorey fans to check out by buying the book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member llusby23
As excited as I (always) am to receive free books through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program, I am ecstatic when I am lucky enough to snag whatever is newest from Pomegranate Books (especially when those books are Edward Gorey written/illustrated). I was particularly happy to have won a copy
This book offers a privileged glimpse into both the writing and illustrating process, and the personal relationship between two extremely witty men who hold each other in the highest esteem. I enjoyed reading about their collaborative work in creating the Donald books and learning how much each influenced the other's parts in the projects.
The juxtaposition of their whimsical ideas, words, and drawings with the humdrum realities of their everyday lives is captivating and comforting. I was glad to have the inclusion of facsimiles of a few of the wonderfully rambling letters and postcards, especially the fabulous envelopes that Gorey illustrated before mailing off to his friend. And the stoej-gnpf, that hybrid creature on the front cover that Gorey decided was part himself and part his friend, and became a secret symbol between them of their like-mindedness and collaborative magic.
But how does one review the personal correspondence between two friends, who just happen to be writers and artists? One doesn't. I have been merely eavesdropping, but the things I overheard were fascinating. I only wonder why they ever stopped. Thank you so much, Mr. Neumeyer, for sharing these letters with the rest of us.
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of Floating Worlds: The Letters of Edward Gorey & Peter F. Neumeyer.This book offers a privileged glimpse into both the writing and illustrating process, and the personal relationship between two extremely witty men who hold each other in the highest esteem. I enjoyed reading about their collaborative work in creating the Donald books and learning how much each influenced the other's parts in the projects.
The juxtaposition of their whimsical ideas, words, and drawings with the humdrum realities of their everyday lives is captivating and comforting. I was glad to have the inclusion of facsimiles of a few of the wonderfully rambling letters and postcards, especially the fabulous envelopes that Gorey illustrated before mailing off to his friend. And the stoej-gnpf, that hybrid creature on the front cover that Gorey decided was part himself and part his friend, and became a secret symbol between them of their like-mindedness and collaborative magic.
But how does one review the personal correspondence between two friends, who just happen to be writers and artists? One doesn't. I have been merely eavesdropping, but the things I overheard were fascinating. I only wonder why they ever stopped. Thank you so much, Mr. Neumeyer, for sharing these letters with the rest of us.
Show Less
LibraryThing member irkthepurist
The last time I got a review copy of an Edward Gorey book from librarything, I went on a bit too much about my Gorey-less childhood and how bereft I felt growing up without this incredible talent when my wife, bless her, did. So this means that, no, I didn’t grow up with him as part of my life
This volume is a collection of letters between Gorey and a collaborator on a series of children’s books, called Peter F Neumeyer. It’s not only fascinating in the way it opens a hitherto unknown window into part of Gorey’s life, but also because the very nature of the friendship between the two men sort of begins to take on Gorey-esque proportions when you look at it closely. But my theory is that once you’ve been touched by the genius of Gorey, you start to look for clues to the central enigma of this curious man even where this is none to find. You look for connections when fundamentally there aren’t any. Yes, Neumeyer’s children’s book was on a housefly (it was called “Donald and…”) and Gorey loved all animals so much (the introduction by Neumeyer pretty much starts with a quotation from one of ‘Ted’s’ letters which says “I am really more and more tolerant to all insect life as life goes on”) that it seems a marriage made in heaven. And then there’s the curious first meeting between the two men: stony silence from Gorey during a day on Neumeyer’s editor’s boat that was only broken by Gorey’s spectacular failure to get out of a dinghy on to dry land. They bonded pretty much in casualty. The thing is, you can imagine a Gorey-esque story which goes along similar lines, but it’s not a very Gorey-esque set up. A bit more like Wodehouse actually. You end up looking for the Gorey in these things, always hunting for possible clues.
But if we’re guilty of reading too much into events in these letters, the correspondence that the meeting ignited is a feast of clues and possible ways into the Gorey enigma. Over a particularly heated period in 1969 this artist and writer and his new found friend the academic bonded over philosophy, art and literature. The book is a catalogue of pointers towards what makes Gorey Gorey, and is also riddled with particular hints as to what made the man tick. And just when you think you’re onto something – like perhaps the Kit Williams’ “Masquerade” books – you suddenly realise the jig is up and Gorey begins to go silent and enigmatic as the letters peter out. It’s one of those rare occasions where a series of letters basically has a form of narrative arc.
So. The book itself…
The best books of letters out there – I’m thinking of Chandler and Wodehouse primarily – are the sort you dip into. Frequently they’re grouped together by theme or correspondent. This book is different because it’s primarily the whole friendship from beginning to end – envelopes included. For the Gorey fan those envelopes are almost worth purchasing the book for in itself. They’re works of art in themselves and its kind of humbling to see Gorey could knock off things this lovely just for letters.
The subjects covered: every time you dip in something new and fascinating takes your fancy. Just a cursory look at the index should give you some idea of the range of subjects covered… Edward Ardizzone. Barbarella. Jorge Luis Borges. Walter de la Mare. Thomas Hardy. Hermann Hesse. Kafka. Flann O’Brien. It’s a quite literary conversation this: high art, cinema, literature, theatre, music. It would be fascinating to see what other correspondences with people who weren’t, say, English academics would be like. I know for a fact Gorey was a massive fan of Doctor Who so a more low art correspondence would be equally as fascinating. Gorey seems like a massive polymath… but then again didn’t the books themselves tell you something of that? Surely part of the enigma of the man is the wealth of peculiar sources that became mingled into this heady of stews.
It’s also a bit unfair that Neumeyer, in any other circumstances, would be a fascinating man in his own right. Fair game of him to take the back seat for Gorey. This is his book and part of the joy is that Neumeyer, whether he did it consciously or not, teases the best out of Gorey. Maybe that’s why Gorey goes silent in the end (there I go myself, looking for clues and patterns where there aren’t any) as he realises how open he’s being and how unlike him it is. I could quote it endlessly and given the time I probably would and each time the essay would be on a different subject: and that seems quite right too.
And then just when you begin to think you’ve worked out the clues, or have gone along with the cliché that there are clues to somehow find, towards the end Gorey starts to almost disappear. The letters are still beautiful, but more enigmatic and distant. They almost remind me of those annoyingly precious “Griffin and Sabine” by Nick Bantock but obviously not so precious. Postcards mostly with tickets and ephemera taped to them. The writing itself becomes spare and fragile, almost like haikus… considering Gorey’s love of Japanese art (which he goes on about repeatedly and at length, with great passion, in the letters) this could almost be deliberate.
A few final thoughts on the volume sent to me by Pomegranate books. Firstly it came in a WHOPPING box which was packaged in so much tape it took about twenty minutes for me to dig into. And when I finally get the book out after all that anticipation… it’s beautiful. Truly beautiful. A lovely, hefty, lovingly illustrated and designed book which – like their single volume Gorey reissues – really the master deserves. And more than just that, even the Pomegranate catalogue is a lovely thing to behold… AND there’s another Gorey postcard. Are they trying to bribe a good review out of me? If so it worked. I’ve had some good books through librarything. I’ve had some bad books through librarything. I’ve had some occasional great books through librarything. This? This was worth me becoming a member alone. It’s gorgeous and glorious and I’ll treasure it forever.
A masterpiece? Yes. Definitely. I cannot recommend it enough.
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but it did mean that when I did discover him properly in my mid-twenties I truly appreciated this peculiar, wayward genius that I had found. And I’m proud that the UK has slowly begun to grasp his peculiar – and frequently very British – sense of humour to the collective British heart.This volume is a collection of letters between Gorey and a collaborator on a series of children’s books, called Peter F Neumeyer. It’s not only fascinating in the way it opens a hitherto unknown window into part of Gorey’s life, but also because the very nature of the friendship between the two men sort of begins to take on Gorey-esque proportions when you look at it closely. But my theory is that once you’ve been touched by the genius of Gorey, you start to look for clues to the central enigma of this curious man even where this is none to find. You look for connections when fundamentally there aren’t any. Yes, Neumeyer’s children’s book was on a housefly (it was called “Donald and…”) and Gorey loved all animals so much (the introduction by Neumeyer pretty much starts with a quotation from one of ‘Ted’s’ letters which says “I am really more and more tolerant to all insect life as life goes on”) that it seems a marriage made in heaven. And then there’s the curious first meeting between the two men: stony silence from Gorey during a day on Neumeyer’s editor’s boat that was only broken by Gorey’s spectacular failure to get out of a dinghy on to dry land. They bonded pretty much in casualty. The thing is, you can imagine a Gorey-esque story which goes along similar lines, but it’s not a very Gorey-esque set up. A bit more like Wodehouse actually. You end up looking for the Gorey in these things, always hunting for possible clues.
But if we’re guilty of reading too much into events in these letters, the correspondence that the meeting ignited is a feast of clues and possible ways into the Gorey enigma. Over a particularly heated period in 1969 this artist and writer and his new found friend the academic bonded over philosophy, art and literature. The book is a catalogue of pointers towards what makes Gorey Gorey, and is also riddled with particular hints as to what made the man tick. And just when you think you’re onto something – like perhaps the Kit Williams’ “Masquerade” books – you suddenly realise the jig is up and Gorey begins to go silent and enigmatic as the letters peter out. It’s one of those rare occasions where a series of letters basically has a form of narrative arc.
So. The book itself…
The best books of letters out there – I’m thinking of Chandler and Wodehouse primarily – are the sort you dip into. Frequently they’re grouped together by theme or correspondent. This book is different because it’s primarily the whole friendship from beginning to end – envelopes included. For the Gorey fan those envelopes are almost worth purchasing the book for in itself. They’re works of art in themselves and its kind of humbling to see Gorey could knock off things this lovely just for letters.
The subjects covered: every time you dip in something new and fascinating takes your fancy. Just a cursory look at the index should give you some idea of the range of subjects covered… Edward Ardizzone. Barbarella. Jorge Luis Borges. Walter de la Mare. Thomas Hardy. Hermann Hesse. Kafka. Flann O’Brien. It’s a quite literary conversation this: high art, cinema, literature, theatre, music. It would be fascinating to see what other correspondences with people who weren’t, say, English academics would be like. I know for a fact Gorey was a massive fan of Doctor Who so a more low art correspondence would be equally as fascinating. Gorey seems like a massive polymath… but then again didn’t the books themselves tell you something of that? Surely part of the enigma of the man is the wealth of peculiar sources that became mingled into this heady of stews.
It’s also a bit unfair that Neumeyer, in any other circumstances, would be a fascinating man in his own right. Fair game of him to take the back seat for Gorey. This is his book and part of the joy is that Neumeyer, whether he did it consciously or not, teases the best out of Gorey. Maybe that’s why Gorey goes silent in the end (there I go myself, looking for clues and patterns where there aren’t any) as he realises how open he’s being and how unlike him it is. I could quote it endlessly and given the time I probably would and each time the essay would be on a different subject: and that seems quite right too.
And then just when you begin to think you’ve worked out the clues, or have gone along with the cliché that there are clues to somehow find, towards the end Gorey starts to almost disappear. The letters are still beautiful, but more enigmatic and distant. They almost remind me of those annoyingly precious “Griffin and Sabine” by Nick Bantock but obviously not so precious. Postcards mostly with tickets and ephemera taped to them. The writing itself becomes spare and fragile, almost like haikus… considering Gorey’s love of Japanese art (which he goes on about repeatedly and at length, with great passion, in the letters) this could almost be deliberate.
A few final thoughts on the volume sent to me by Pomegranate books. Firstly it came in a WHOPPING box which was packaged in so much tape it took about twenty minutes for me to dig into. And when I finally get the book out after all that anticipation… it’s beautiful. Truly beautiful. A lovely, hefty, lovingly illustrated and designed book which – like their single volume Gorey reissues – really the master deserves. And more than just that, even the Pomegranate catalogue is a lovely thing to behold… AND there’s another Gorey postcard. Are they trying to bribe a good review out of me? If so it worked. I’ve had some good books through librarything. I’ve had some bad books through librarything. I’ve had some occasional great books through librarything. This? This was worth me becoming a member alone. It’s gorgeous and glorious and I’ll treasure it forever.
A masterpiece? Yes. Definitely. I cannot recommend it enough.
Show Less
LibraryThing member the_darling_copilots
This is a beautiful volume, full of charm, playfulness and wit (as you would expect from these two). It added a lot to my understanding of Edward Gorey, who cultivated so much mystery about his life. This is a great book to dip in and out of, and does not require (or, for me, reward) sustained
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reading at one time. Show Less
LibraryThing member pvincent
I've been fortunate enough to assemble a reasonable collection of Edward Gorey books, including the "Donald..." books he created with Peter F. Neumeyer, so I was overjoyed when I was sent a preview copy of this book, via LibraryThing.
On the plus side, this is a gorgeously produced book; as a
The correspondence between the two is also full of fascinating insights into the joint creative process, and oblique insights into Gorey's home life.
However, much of the content of the letters consists of the kind of humdrum minutiae one might reasonably expect to find in correspondence between two friends who are also colleagues. After all, such letters are never intended for publication and are therefore not "crafted" in the way that material for publication would be.
Therefore I found a sense of anticlimax creeping in as the correspondence progressed. Enjoyable, treasurable for the insights it grants, but unlikely to be a book I'd ever read cover-to-cover again.
But those envelopes ARE fantastic!
On the plus side, this is a gorgeously produced book; as a
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physical object it is a thing of beauty, and the paper is of such heavy stock that it errs just this side of being described as "card". For a Gorey addict, the real treasure here is the reproduction of the hand-decorated envelopes in which Gorey sent all his letters to Neumeyer. These are beautiful examples of Gorey in "cartoon" mode, and are endlessly inventive and witty.The correspondence between the two is also full of fascinating insights into the joint creative process, and oblique insights into Gorey's home life.
However, much of the content of the letters consists of the kind of humdrum minutiae one might reasonably expect to find in correspondence between two friends who are also colleagues. After all, such letters are never intended for publication and are therefore not "crafted" in the way that material for publication would be.
Therefore I found a sense of anticlimax creeping in as the correspondence progressed. Enjoyable, treasurable for the insights it grants, but unlikely to be a book I'd ever read cover-to-cover again.
But those envelopes ARE fantastic!
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LibraryThing member ljbwell
Floating Worlds: The Letters of Edward Gorey & Peter F. Neumeyer is an epistolary account of the intense period of correspondence between the two authors in the late 1960s. Included are not only letters between the them as they collaborated on a series of books (such as Donald has a Difficulty),
For any Gorey admirer, this book provides insights into the author/illustrator's life. That he was an avid reader, an ardent patron of NY Ballet, and an animal lover are not revelations. But the ways in which these come through in his letters show just how deep, passionate, or prolific he was about these. He sometimes reveals his incredulity over his fans, and even writes hoping Neumeyer will soon have similar experiences so they can compare. His moments of stress and feeling overwhelmed are no surprise when one thinks about the sheer volume of activity going on: 4-8 ballets a week during the season, several films, reading and discussing multiple books at once, writing & illustrating his own books, illustrating books for others (such as Neumeyer), visits to or from friends and family, dealing with publishers and agents, etc.
Both men are erudite, and along with the letters they send each other books, articles, snippets from newspapers, which are then discussed in the correspondence. One sees why the two men became such fast friends, if even for a relatively short time - and all thanks to Neumeyer's essentially managing to dislocate Gorey's shoulder in the course of their 1st meeting.
One could easily sit with this book and a notepad, just to be able to research (and later hunt down) many of their references, especially as these references clearly influence both men's/each man's works. The occasional reprints of the actual letters themselves - as typewritten or handwritten - are particularly enjoyable. And this is my one quibble with the book - I would have liked more of these, as they show more style and bring their exchanges more to life. It also helped break up what was sometimes very dense writing of letters that went on for pages at a time.
In short, this is a fantastic book not only for any Gorey fan, but also for anyone interested in the writing process, or for anyone who just misses actual letters chock full of reflection, sharing, references, insights, quirky bits, and personality.
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but also envelopes embellished with Gorey's distinctive drawings that were sent to Neumeyer. As Neumeyer himself points out, the letters represent a short but rich series of letters between them - Sept. 1968-Sept. 1971 (with a sharp drop already in 1969). The book itself is beautifully bound with thick, glossy pages and with the envelopes in color. For any Gorey admirer, this book provides insights into the author/illustrator's life. That he was an avid reader, an ardent patron of NY Ballet, and an animal lover are not revelations. But the ways in which these come through in his letters show just how deep, passionate, or prolific he was about these. He sometimes reveals his incredulity over his fans, and even writes hoping Neumeyer will soon have similar experiences so they can compare. His moments of stress and feeling overwhelmed are no surprise when one thinks about the sheer volume of activity going on: 4-8 ballets a week during the season, several films, reading and discussing multiple books at once, writing & illustrating his own books, illustrating books for others (such as Neumeyer), visits to or from friends and family, dealing with publishers and agents, etc.
Both men are erudite, and along with the letters they send each other books, articles, snippets from newspapers, which are then discussed in the correspondence. One sees why the two men became such fast friends, if even for a relatively short time - and all thanks to Neumeyer's essentially managing to dislocate Gorey's shoulder in the course of their 1st meeting.
One could easily sit with this book and a notepad, just to be able to research (and later hunt down) many of their references, especially as these references clearly influence both men's/each man's works. The occasional reprints of the actual letters themselves - as typewritten or handwritten - are particularly enjoyable. And this is my one quibble with the book - I would have liked more of these, as they show more style and bring their exchanges more to life. It also helped break up what was sometimes very dense writing of letters that went on for pages at a time.
In short, this is a fantastic book not only for any Gorey fan, but also for anyone interested in the writing process, or for anyone who just misses actual letters chock full of reflection, sharing, references, insights, quirky bits, and personality.
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LibraryThing member DoskoiPanda
Floating Worlds: The Letters of Edward Gorey and Peter F. Neumeyer edited by Peter F. Neumeyer is a collection of the correspondence of the two men during 1968-1969, when Gorey was illustrating three children's books that Neumeyer had written. These are not, however, dry correspondence between
The book itself is both wonderful and slightly frustrating; great care was taken in its creation - it's a very solid book, sewn binding, jacket cover art duplicated on the boards, heavy paper that allows for the depths of shadow and detail in the photographs and illustrations - this is clearly a book meant to last. However, the paper, though wonderful for illustrations/images, is not so wonderful for the reader where text is involved. The pages are very thick for a reading experience - I was constantly checking to see if I'd skipped a page (they feel like the thickness of two pages together.) That is, however, a minor quibble, especially when faced with the overall excellence of the edition (both content and construction.)
I highly recommend this to anyone with a love of Edward Gorey's work, discussions of literature and the arts, or an interest in the working relationship between a writer and an illustrator - the book covers these gloriously.
Overall rating: 4.5 or 5 stars
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writer and illustrator, though that is frequently discussed. Instead, the letters are often brilliant discussions or illuminations on art, literature, philosophy, history, etc., between two highly intelligent men. I knew, of course, from his books that Edward Gorey was an intellectual and a lover of the arts. But until I read these letters, I had no idea of the depths of his intellect or the range of his interests. Neumeyer, I must confess, I expected to be extremely well read due to his being an academic, but again, their commentary on various subjects really left me astounded and delighted, and a little breathless from all the books I now would like to read because they mention them. Also included are Gorey's incredible illustrated envelopes and post cards; various drawings and handwritten comments from both men; and photographs from the times they visited each other.The book itself is both wonderful and slightly frustrating; great care was taken in its creation - it's a very solid book, sewn binding, jacket cover art duplicated on the boards, heavy paper that allows for the depths of shadow and detail in the photographs and illustrations - this is clearly a book meant to last. However, the paper, though wonderful for illustrations/images, is not so wonderful for the reader where text is involved. The pages are very thick for a reading experience - I was constantly checking to see if I'd skipped a page (they feel like the thickness of two pages together.) That is, however, a minor quibble, especially when faced with the overall excellence of the edition (both content and construction.)
I highly recommend this to anyone with a love of Edward Gorey's work, discussions of literature and the arts, or an interest in the working relationship between a writer and an illustrator - the book covers these gloriously.
Overall rating: 4.5 or 5 stars
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LibraryThing member GirlMisanthrope
A nod to Pomegranate for doing a beautiful job producing this book. The cover is heavy, the pages thick, and glossy.
A must-have for any Goreyphile. Gorey and Neumeyer (who collaborated on several books) have a charming, fun correspondence. What a gift to receive illustrated envelopes from EG in
Samples of the illustrated envelopes as well as of hand-written letters dot the book. I sank into my couch with a cup of cocoa and polished this book off in hours. Such a treat!
A must-have for any Goreyphile. Gorey and Neumeyer (who collaborated on several books) have a charming, fun correspondence. What a gift to receive illustrated envelopes from EG in
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the mail. Samples of the illustrated envelopes as well as of hand-written letters dot the book. I sank into my couch with a cup of cocoa and polished this book off in hours. Such a treat!
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LibraryThing member Kellswitch
I was a little leery at first about just reading letters between two people, I wasn't sure how interesting it would be as I've never read a book like this before but I really found myself engaged and enchanted by the collection here.
The topics varied from work and day to day life, books, movies and
The physical quality of this book is amazing, the paper is thick and glossy, the cover and binding are top notch as well and I loved the layout between the letters, envelopes and drawings, it has an organic and whimsical feel to it. This is my first Pomegranate book and I doubt it will be my last if this is the level of overall quality I can expect from them.
The topics varied from work and day to day life, books, movies and
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philosophy but I found that even simplest letter could give a fascinating insights into these author’s lives and their shared world. For me these letters and little drawings and doodles give much more insight into who the authors are than any deliberately written biography and I found myself going back and skimming and rereading some of them randomly when I have a few extra moments and want something to read but not get fully engaged in.The physical quality of this book is amazing, the paper is thick and glossy, the cover and binding are top notch as well and I loved the layout between the letters, envelopes and drawings, it has an organic and whimsical feel to it. This is my first Pomegranate book and I doubt it will be my last if this is the level of overall quality I can expect from them.
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
A touching and poignant collection of letters from a season of friendship between two men. Anyone who loves literature, art, film or linguistics will have "Aha" moments while reading it. This correspondence has been thoughtfully and beautifully laid out, with good footnotes and lovely photographs
As for the contents of the letters, much of the philosophical pondering, film, art and literature discussion is beyond me. I am not wired that way. My eyes have been opened to a whole world of authors, directors and artists whom I knew nothing about, but will enjoy exploring. I love Gorey now if for nothing more than his opinion of Salinger's works. What I truly enjoyed, were the free ramblings each of the men felt comfortable sharing with one another, the joy they had in discussing books and authors. It left me a little sad at the end that such a friendship could drop by the wayside, but then that is the way of friendships. Some are intense for a lifetime, and some are a lifeline to get one through a season.
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of the envelopes which Edward Gorey illustrated before sending to Peter F. Neumeyer. The book is a piece of art in itself. Thick pages, which are sewn together, clear photographs and nicely spaced type make it a joy to hold and read.As for the contents of the letters, much of the philosophical pondering, film, art and literature discussion is beyond me. I am not wired that way. My eyes have been opened to a whole world of authors, directors and artists whom I knew nothing about, but will enjoy exploring. I love Gorey now if for nothing more than his opinion of Salinger's works. What I truly enjoyed, were the free ramblings each of the men felt comfortable sharing with one another, the joy they had in discussing books and authors. It left me a little sad at the end that such a friendship could drop by the wayside, but then that is the way of friendships. Some are intense for a lifetime, and some are a lifeline to get one through a season.
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LibraryThing member reader1009
adult nonfiction; correspondence and illustrations. Notes to self: (1)write more, wittier letters (though not necessarily as rambling as EG's--unless you qualify as an eccentric-artist type, which I don't) and (2) get myself some acrylic paints and inks so I can make lovely water-resistant (postal
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service-proof) drawings like these. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2011-09-15
Physical description
256 p.; 8.96 inches
ISBN
0764959476 / 9780764959479
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