Mark Dery is a cultural critic. He coined the term "Afrofuturism," popularized the concept of "culture jamming," taught at Yale and NYU, and has published widely on pop culture, the media, and on the mythologies (and pathologies) of American life.
His books include Flame Wars, a seminal anthology of writings on digital culture; Escape Velocity: Cyberculture at the end of the century, The Pyrotechnic Insanitarium: American Culture on the Brink, and the essay collection, I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts: Drive-by Essays on American Dread, American Dreams. Like Gorey, his mission in life "is to make everybody as uneasy as possible."
"A detailed, devoted, and highly readable biography of the
illustrator who--from The Doubtful Guest to The Curious
Sofa--defined and embodied a world of camp, gothic hilarity."--Ben
Schott, The Guardian
"An entertaining account of an artist who liked to be coy with
anybody who dared to write about him."--New York Times
"An inviting cabinet of curiosities...Every chapter is a
revelation... fans will absolutely revel in this book... Mark Dery
pulls back the grand drape in a way that does not dispel the magic
but simply sanctifies Gorey's contribution."--Lambda Literary
"As a perfervid Goreyphile, I was a bit leery of a biography
undertaking to spell out the details of his life. Did I really want
to have the mystery solved? But Mark Dery drags the pond to
revelatory result, contextualizing and analyzing Gorey, plunging
into his obsessions, dissecting his sexuality, and even examining
the philosophical import of nonsense while somehow managing to
leave the central enigma radiantly intact. This is an absolutely
riveting book about an utterly sui generis subject."--Alison
Bechdel, author of Fun Home
"Edward Gorey has been granted the most remarkable biography, one I
believe he could have lived with. What was the likelihood that this
singular genius could be restored, with such compassion and grace,
within his whole context: Balanchine, surrealism, Frank O'Hara,
Lady Murasaki, et al? This is a Dery Gorey book."--Jonathan
Lethem
"Edward Gorey's ardent admirers have long known there is something
about his work one can't quite pin down. Past all reason, Mark Dery
has pinned it down. A genius book about a bookish genius."--Daniel
Handler, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events
"Fascinating... Dery brings an analytical eye to the creations of
the avant-garde illustrator and writer."--The National Book
Review
"Gorey has found a superb biographer in Mark Dery... Some enigmas
aren't meant to be solved--but they can be usefully illuminated.
That's just what Dery does in this excellent book."--Seattle
Times
"In his provocative biography of Gorey, Dery shows that the artist,
instead of being a fusty old Edwardian misanthrope, was a
flamboyant dandy and an early avatar of asexuality."--San Francisco
Chronicle
"Knowing Gorey's full story, done sparkling justice by Mark Dery,
will only make you adore him more."--Caitlin Doughty, author of
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
"Mark Dery's deep, clear-eyed biography of Gorey is so welcome. He
pulls at the disparate threads running through Gorey's art... and
unearths the artist's gay identity."--NPR
"Peculiar to a T, Gorey and his work are eccentric in the most
congenial and appealing way, and cultural critic Dery gives them a
book that matches them in ingratiation, fascination, and
artfulness."--Booklist (starred review)
"Provocative... Dery makes a convincing case that Gorey was the
true godfather of Goth, inspiring a generation of pop culture
memento mori, from the IMAX-scale nightmares of Tim Burton... to
the travails of Lemony Snicket... Dery has set the standard for a
comprehensive appraisal of his legacy."--San Francisco
Chronicle
"Ravishing...Dery portrays the man behind those odd little books
that delighted in showing children in danger, blending Victorian
and Surrealistic sensibilities; Gorey was a Harvard man, a
balletomane, and ultimately, an enigma."--The Boston Globe
"Smart and entertaining... brings us closer than ever to
understanding a man devoted to enigmas."--Washington Post
"That sense of our ultimate aloneness in the world makes Gorey's
books as haunting as they are odd. Dery's affectionate tribute to
an artist who was 'incomparably, unimprovably himself' also shows
Gorey evoking in his work feelings of alienation, longing, and
dread that are perhaps more common than we like to admit."--Boston
Globe
"The best biographies are the result of a perfect match between
author and subject, and it's relatively rare when the two align
perfectly. But that's the case with Born to Be Posthumous--Dery
shares Gorey's arch sense of humor, and shows real sympathy for his
sui generis outlook and aesthetics. Dery's book is smart,
exhaustive, and an absolute joy to read... the biography [Gorey]
has long deserved."--NPR
"Well-considered... Cultural critic Dery constructs a nimble
framework to fully appreciate the gothic artist and designer's
contributions to high art and queer culture... The reclusive author
and designer of such ghoulish gems as The Doubtful Guest and the
animated introduction to the PBS series Mystery! comes fully alive,
fur-coated and bejeweled, as an unlikely icon of the
counterculture."--Kirkus
"Will delight the most devoted bibliophile...
deeply-researched."--Globe and Mail
"Writer and illustrator Gorey is more myth than man. But Mark Dery
fleshes out the Grandfather of Goth in this new biography, and by
doing so, he paints a picture of a fascinating man... Dery fills in
the rest of the pieces with affection, admiration, and
humor."--Paste
One of the Best Books of the Year: NPR, The Guardian, Boston Globe,
Paste, Mental Floss, San Francisco Chronicle
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