The Mourning Fan, or Meanwhile and Elsewhere is a delightful, if little known work by Edward Gorey. It appeared in
Antaeus, 20th Anniversary Issue, No 64/65, Spring-Autumn, 1990. This literary quarterly ran from 1970 through 1994, and included written contributions by a variety of authors. Works by Edward Gorey have appeared in several issues.
To date,
The Mourning Fan has not been published as an individual book. The story consists of thirty verses, each accompanied by a small fan shaped drawing. The size of the drawings are similar to
The Eclectic Abecedarium and
Q.R.V., and it could be guessed that this title was destined to become a third miniature offering from Mr. Gorey. The surprise of the story is somewhat diminished in this printing because the layout allows the reader to see all the drawings and verses on four pages. I look forward to the possibility of seeing this title printed as an individual book one day.
The Mourning Fan, or Meanwhile and Elsewhere is a delightful, if little known work by Edward Gorey. It appeared in Antaeus, 20th Anniversary Issue, No 64/65, Spring-Autumn, 1990. This literary quarterly ran from 1970 through 1994, and included written contributions by a variety of authors. Works by Edward Gorey have appeared in several issues.
To date, The Mourning Fan has not been published as an individual book. The story consists of thirty verses, each accompanied by a small fan shaped drawing. The size of the drawings are similar to The Eclectic Abecedarium and Q.R.V., and it could be guessed that this title was destined to become a third miniature offering from Mr. Gorey. The surprise of the story is somewhat diminished in this printing because the layout allows the reader to see all the drawings and verses on four pages. I look forward to the possibility of seeing this title printed as an individual book one day.
I'm glad you were able to get a copy of this. It is a lovely little piece, and perhaps surprising that it was never collected into a book of its own. But no calling card?...
ReplyDeleteI haven't spotted a calling card in the illustrations.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post as always. I really appreciate this fine collection of Gorey's works and have learned much about his range that I hadn't suspected. Are you a fan of the large west-coast events in SF and LA that are inspired by his works? I would like to email you a video if you are interested. Also, did you get the request I emailed you 6 days ago? -Dusty B
ReplyDeleteI remember hearing at the time of his death that there were various unpublished manuscripts/books etc found in Mr Gorey's home. Have you heard anything about this and, most importantly, I wonder if any of them are ever going to be published?
ReplyDeleteOne or two have surfaced in Amphigorey Again...Lets hope more are on their way!
ReplyDelete