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The Doubtful Guest
The doubtful guest shows up unannounced and unwelcome, yet its presence is accepted after only a brief interlude of screaming. The staid, pale, Victorian inhabitants of the mansion alternately stare and glare at the doubtful guest as it tears out whole chapters from books, peels the soles of its white canvas shoes, and broods while lying on the floor ("inconveniently close to the drawing-room door"). Strangely, or rather, typically, as this is a Gorey book, the stymied occupants never ask the guest to leave--and in 17 years it has still "shown no intention of going away."
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1957
17 people are currently reading
2351 people want to read
About the author
Edward Gorey
480 books2,037 followersBorn in Chicago, Gorey came from a colourful family; his parents, Helen Dunham Garvey and Edward Lee Gorey, divorced in 1936 when he was 11, then remarried in 1952 when he was 27. One of his step-mothers was Corinna Mura, a cabaret singer who had a brief role in the classic film Casablanca. His father was briefly a journalist. Gorey's maternal great-grandmother, Helen St. John Garvey, was a popular 19th century greeting card writer/artist, from whom he claimed to have inherited his talents. He attended a variety of local grade schools and then the Francis W. Parker School. He spent 1944–1946 in the Army at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, and then attended Harvard University from 1946 to 1950, where he studied French and roomed with future poet Frank O'Hara.
Although he would frequently state that his formal art training was "negligible", Gorey studied art for one semester at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 1943, eventually becoming a professional illustrator. From 1953 to 1960, he lived in New York City and worked for the Art Department of Doubleday Anchor, illustrating book covers and in some cases adding illustrations to the text. He has illustrated works as diverse as Dracula by Bram Stoker, The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, and Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. In later years he illustrated many children's books by John Bellairs, as well as books in several series begun by Bellairs and continued by other authors after his death.
Although he would frequently state that his formal art training was "negligible", Gorey studied art for one semester at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 1943, eventually becoming a professional illustrator. From 1953 to 1960, he lived in New York City and worked for the Art Department of Doubleday Anchor, illustrating book covers and in some cases adding illustrations to the text. He has illustrated works as diverse as Dracula by Bram Stoker, The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, and Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. In later years he illustrated many children's books by John Bellairs, as well as books in several series begun by Bellairs and continued by other authors after his death.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 248 reviews
August 2, 2025
ARSENICO E VECCHI MERLETTI
Le opere di Gorey, perché illustrate, e perché narrate come filastrocche, sembrano nate per l’infanzia: ma così non è, potrebbero caso mai essere considerate una parodia dei libri per bambini (parodia feroce, assai feroce).
Gorey prende spunto da quella letteratura, ma subito innesta il suo inesauribile umorismo nero (più dark che black), la sua vena sinistra e sadica.
Per esempio, I piccini di Gashlycrumb è un abbecedario nel quale a ogni lettera dell’alfabeto corrisponde il nome di un bambino, morto in maniera più o meno atroce.
Gorey è tutto meno che un autore di letteratura infantile. Il suo pubblico è quello degli adulti.
Io sono un suo fedele lettore dal momento in cui sono diventato adulto.
L’ospite sgradito, l’ospite equivoco in altre traduzioni, è forse il personaggio più famoso disegnato da Gorey, e fino alla morte di Gorey (2000) è stata probabilmente l’unica sua opera reperibile in italiano (e con difficoltà).
Si tratta di una specie di pinguino in sciarpa e scarpe da tennis che si autoinvita e insedia a tempo indeterminato nella magione di signori, severi e attoniti, sottoponendoli a una serie di pacate torture senza che nessuno chieda niente a lui.
È un’invasione pacifica, ma dall’effetto sconvolgente: il pinguino è creatura indecifrabile e assurda, che progressivamente diventa sempre più presente nella vita della famiglia che abita la casa. Famiglia che inspiegabilmente è incapace di arginare l’uccello, col quale finirà per convivere molti anni, finché il bambino diventerà adulto e i genitori anziani.
Uscito nel 1958, ha finito presto con il rappresentare l’alter ego dello stesso Gorey, che, con l'aggiunta di un immancabile cappotto di pelliccia e di un Maggiolino giallo, si vestiva e comportava più o meno come lui.
Fino al punto da portarsi dietro per anni, in braccio o per mano, un pelouche a sembianza dell’Ospite Sgradito.
Anche qui il tratteggio a pennino in bianco e nero simula incisioni ottocentesche. Anche qui ci si muove tra il gotico e surreale, tra il macabro e il nonsense, tra mistero ed enigma. Nulla viene mai rivelato, non c’è spiegazione, e neppure risoluzione.
Gorey racconta di morte, veleni, scannamenti, crudeltà varie e omicidi, con la leggerezza con cui le dame inglesi dell’Ottocento prendevano il tè osservando i mariti giocare a cricket.
Per Gorey si scomodò addirittura il sommo Edmund Wilson che firmò l'introduzione a questa edizione speciale, ghiotta e imperdibile, paragonando l'autore a mostri sacri come Beardsley e Beerbohm. Che splendida compagnia!
PS
Morte malinconica del bambino ostrica e altre storie è il titolo del libro di Tim Burton, che non esisterebbe, come non esisterebbe il suo cinema e il suo immaginario, se non fosse prima esistito Gorey.
Le opere di Gorey, perché illustrate, e perché narrate come filastrocche, sembrano nate per l’infanzia: ma così non è, potrebbero caso mai essere considerate una parodia dei libri per bambini (parodia feroce, assai feroce).
Gorey prende spunto da quella letteratura, ma subito innesta il suo inesauribile umorismo nero (più dark che black), la sua vena sinistra e sadica.
Per esempio, I piccini di Gashlycrumb è un abbecedario nel quale a ogni lettera dell’alfabeto corrisponde il nome di un bambino, morto in maniera più o meno atroce.
Gorey è tutto meno che un autore di letteratura infantile. Il suo pubblico è quello degli adulti.
Io sono un suo fedele lettore dal momento in cui sono diventato adulto.
L’ospite sgradito, l’ospite equivoco in altre traduzioni, è forse il personaggio più famoso disegnato da Gorey, e fino alla morte di Gorey (2000) è stata probabilmente l’unica sua opera reperibile in italiano (e con difficoltà).
Si tratta di una specie di pinguino in sciarpa e scarpe da tennis che si autoinvita e insedia a tempo indeterminato nella magione di signori, severi e attoniti, sottoponendoli a una serie di pacate torture senza che nessuno chieda niente a lui.
È un’invasione pacifica, ma dall’effetto sconvolgente: il pinguino è creatura indecifrabile e assurda, che progressivamente diventa sempre più presente nella vita della famiglia che abita la casa. Famiglia che inspiegabilmente è incapace di arginare l’uccello, col quale finirà per convivere molti anni, finché il bambino diventerà adulto e i genitori anziani.
Uscito nel 1958, ha finito presto con il rappresentare l’alter ego dello stesso Gorey, che, con l'aggiunta di un immancabile cappotto di pelliccia e di un Maggiolino giallo, si vestiva e comportava più o meno come lui.
Fino al punto da portarsi dietro per anni, in braccio o per mano, un pelouche a sembianza dell’Ospite Sgradito.
Anche qui il tratteggio a pennino in bianco e nero simula incisioni ottocentesche. Anche qui ci si muove tra il gotico e surreale, tra il macabro e il nonsense, tra mistero ed enigma. Nulla viene mai rivelato, non c’è spiegazione, e neppure risoluzione.
Gorey racconta di morte, veleni, scannamenti, crudeltà varie e omicidi, con la leggerezza con cui le dame inglesi dell’Ottocento prendevano il tè osservando i mariti giocare a cricket.
Per Gorey si scomodò addirittura il sommo Edmund Wilson che firmò l'introduzione a questa edizione speciale, ghiotta e imperdibile, paragonando l'autore a mostri sacri come Beardsley e Beerbohm. Che splendida compagnia!
PS
Morte malinconica del bambino ostrica e altre storie è il titolo del libro di Tim Burton, che non esisterebbe, come non esisterebbe il suo cinema e il suo immaginario, se non fosse prima esistito Gorey.
May 17, 2020
this review is for bird brian!!
i am insisting on reading this book as a metaphor for parenthood. in this wonderfully-illustrated-as-always edward gorey book, this creature arrives one evening, uninvited, unexpected. and it looks like a weird-ass penguin in a scarf and some canvas kicks. and it just will not leave.
it came seventeen years ago - and to this day it has shown no intention of going away
i assume there are plenty of parents who feel this way about their odd children - the alien, the other, the unrelatable who seems never to be leaving the nest and letting them get back to their lives already.
and it is a total pain in the ass. while this creature is living amongst them, it eats all the syrup and toast, and part of a plate, it steals parts from the gramophone, it hangs out in the fireplace and destroys its own shoes, it rips up books (!!!)
and messes up the hanging pictures, it lies down on the floor in front of the door and gets in everyone's way, it hides in a tureen, it steals and hides all the bath towels, it sleepwalks, it throws the beloved objects of others in the pond, and it seemingly has no intention of ever leaving or getting a job or finding a nice girl and settling down!!
sound familiar, parents??
time to clean house before it gets any worse.
come to my blog!
i am insisting on reading this book as a metaphor for parenthood. in this wonderfully-illustrated-as-always edward gorey book, this creature arrives one evening, uninvited, unexpected. and it looks like a weird-ass penguin in a scarf and some canvas kicks. and it just will not leave.
it came seventeen years ago - and to this day it has shown no intention of going away
i assume there are plenty of parents who feel this way about their odd children - the alien, the other, the unrelatable who seems never to be leaving the nest and letting them get back to their lives already.
and it is a total pain in the ass. while this creature is living amongst them, it eats all the syrup and toast, and part of a plate, it steals parts from the gramophone, it hangs out in the fireplace and destroys its own shoes, it rips up books (!!!)
and messes up the hanging pictures, it lies down on the floor in front of the door and gets in everyone's way, it hides in a tureen, it steals and hides all the bath towels, it sleepwalks, it throws the beloved objects of others in the pond, and it seemingly has no intention of ever leaving or getting a job or finding a nice girl and settling down!!
sound familiar, parents??
time to clean house before it gets any worse.
come to my blog!
April 3, 2020
"At times it would tear out whole chapters from books
Or put roomfuls of pictures askew on their hooks"
Squee! Gorey! I haven't shelved any Gorey but I've read A LOT of Gorey which is possibly why I'm generally as cheerful as I am. And now I realize I need more Gorey these days, ones that sneaked past me like this awesome little gem-- which is perfectly relevant and weirdly therapeutic -- and time to revisit the trove. Come to Lori, Gorey. I've missed you, you sly fox.
Or put roomfuls of pictures askew on their hooks"
Squee! Gorey! I haven't shelved any Gorey but I've read A LOT of Gorey which is possibly why I'm generally as cheerful as I am. And now I realize I need more Gorey these days, ones that sneaked past me like this awesome little gem-- which is perfectly relevant and weirdly therapeutic -- and time to revisit the trove. Come to Lori, Gorey. I've missed you, you sly fox.
January 24, 2021
Ever heard of the man named Edward Gorey?
Well, he's the author of this quirky story,
About a something from somewhere that shows up one day,
And shows no intention of going away.
Perhaps you've seen his drawings, his ladies in long dresses,
His alphabet book may have taught your your esses.
Ah, now you remember the man, Edward Gorey,
The author in all his pen-and-ink glory.
Well, he's the author of this quirky story,
About a something from somewhere that shows up one day,
And shows no intention of going away.
Perhaps you've seen his drawings, his ladies in long dresses,
His alphabet book may have taught your your esses.
Ah, now you remember the man, Edward Gorey,
The author in all his pen-and-ink glory.
October 14, 2024
Happy Halloween month!
I've read this a few times as a part of larger collections, but enjoyed it again. I recall great reviewer Karen insisting that the book is really about parenting for some people. In it a weird bird shows up in a Victorian mansion and doesn't leave for 17 years. They tolerate him, but as she says, "he is a total pain in the ass." "It" eats all the syrup and toast, and part of a plate; it rips apart a gramophone, lies around moping on the floor in inconvenient places, rips off the soles of its shoes, rips up books: Pain in the ass!
And doesn't leave for 17 years. That's it, really, but rereading it as parenting made it especially amusing. We wrongly assume that most people who become parents are "natural" parents or come to grow into it. Or they hate kids but come to love their own. Those who KNOW are myths, but they are perpetuated, anyway. The adults in this story, an extended family, just don't know what to do with this "guest," and largely leave him alone. Like a metaphor for a lot of kids growing up?
I sometimes wonder about Gorey, never in a relationship anyone knew about, never had kids, writing lovingly but spookily for/about kids. . . . heh heh heh.
Here it is, on YouTube, in less than three minutes, promise:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XxVh...
I've read this a few times as a part of larger collections, but enjoyed it again. I recall great reviewer Karen insisting that the book is really about parenting for some people. In it a weird bird shows up in a Victorian mansion and doesn't leave for 17 years. They tolerate him, but as she says, "he is a total pain in the ass." "It" eats all the syrup and toast, and part of a plate; it rips apart a gramophone, lies around moping on the floor in inconvenient places, rips off the soles of its shoes, rips up books: Pain in the ass!
And doesn't leave for 17 years. That's it, really, but rereading it as parenting made it especially amusing. We wrongly assume that most people who become parents are "natural" parents or come to grow into it. Or they hate kids but come to love their own. Those who KNOW are myths, but they are perpetuated, anyway. The adults in this story, an extended family, just don't know what to do with this "guest," and largely leave him alone. Like a metaphor for a lot of kids growing up?
I sometimes wonder about Gorey, never in a relationship anyone knew about, never had kids, writing lovingly but spookily for/about kids. . . . heh heh heh.
Here it is, on YouTube, in less than three minutes, promise:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XxVh...
July 28, 2018
Gorgeous little book and immensely weird! Four stars plus, what an artist, Edward Gorey. Beautiful & supercreative absolutely superb, intriguing black & white drawings. Every drawing accompanied by a two-line rhyme. Love the dark drawings and elusive storylines of Gorey. I keep looking at the drawings, for more details... Out of this world!!
November 12, 2025
عاشق سبک ادوارد گوری هستم، بخاطر اینکه با هر روحیه ، موود و شخصیتی میتونی ازشون برداشت متفاوتی داشته باشی.
داستان مهمون مشکوک، هم آدمو میخندونه و هم میترسونه. داستان درمورد یک حیوون پنگوئن ماننده که کانورس و شال گردن داره و یهوو میره خونه یه خانواده و ۱۷ سال اونجا زندگی میکنه و موندگار شده. درست مثل خیلی بدبختی ها که اولش گیج و عصبانیت میکنن ولی وقتی میبینی نمیتونی کاری ش کنی، باهاشون کنار میای ...
.....
* When they answered the bell on that wild winter night,
There was no one expected—and no one in sight.
* Then they saw something standing on top of an urn,
Whose peculiar appearance gave them quite a turn.
* All at once it leapt down and ran into the hall,
Where it chose to remain with its nose to the wall.
* It was seemingly deaf to whatever they said,
So at last they stopped screaming, and went off to bed.
* It joined them at breakfast and presently ate
All the syrup and toast, and a part of a plate.
* It wrenched off the horn from the new gramophone,
And could not be persuaded to leave it alone.
* It betrayed a great liking for peering up flues,
And for peeling the soles of its white canvas shoes.
* At times it would tear out whole chapters from books,
Or put roomfuls of pictures askew on their hooks.
* Every Sunday it brooded and lay on the floor,
Inconveniently close to the drawing-room door.
* Now and then it would vanish for hours from the scene,
But alas, be discovered inside a tureen.
* It was subject to fits of bewildering wrath,
During which it would hide all the towels from the bath.
* In the night through the house it would aimlessly creep,
In spite of the fact of its being asleep.
* It would carry off objects of which it grew fond,
And protect them by dropping them into the pond.
* It came seventeen years ago—and to this day
It has shown no intention of going away.
داستان مهمون مشکوک، هم آدمو میخندونه و هم میترسونه. داستان درمورد یک حیوون پنگوئن ماننده که کانورس و شال گردن داره و یهوو میره خونه یه خانواده و ۱۷ سال اونجا زندگی میکنه و موندگار شده. درست مثل خیلی بدبختی ها که اولش گیج و عصبانیت میکنن ولی وقتی میبینی نمیتونی کاری ش کنی، باهاشون کنار میای ...
.....
* When they answered the bell on that wild winter night,
There was no one expected—and no one in sight.
* Then they saw something standing on top of an urn,
Whose peculiar appearance gave them quite a turn.
* All at once it leapt down and ran into the hall,
Where it chose to remain with its nose to the wall.
* It was seemingly deaf to whatever they said,
So at last they stopped screaming, and went off to bed.
* It joined them at breakfast and presently ate
All the syrup and toast, and a part of a plate.
* It wrenched off the horn from the new gramophone,
And could not be persuaded to leave it alone.
* It betrayed a great liking for peering up flues,
And for peeling the soles of its white canvas shoes.
* At times it would tear out whole chapters from books,
Or put roomfuls of pictures askew on their hooks.
* Every Sunday it brooded and lay on the floor,
Inconveniently close to the drawing-room door.
* Now and then it would vanish for hours from the scene,
But alas, be discovered inside a tureen.
* It was subject to fits of bewildering wrath,
During which it would hide all the towels from the bath.
* In the night through the house it would aimlessly creep,
In spite of the fact of its being asleep.
* It would carry off objects of which it grew fond,
And protect them by dropping them into the pond.
* It came seventeen years ago—and to this day
It has shown no intention of going away.
April 15, 2018
What would you do if an unwanted guest arrived at your house and moved in for 17 years. Well, this little story is about a very strange guest that looks like a penguin and he is very trying. Funny enough, the family is unable to oust him from their house.
This was quirky for Edward and it was a fun little short story. I had a fun time with the story and art. Gorey is so Droll. This is the beauty of Gorey. Why tell a usual story when it can be so strange.
This was quirky for Edward and it was a fun little short story. I had a fun time with the story and art. Gorey is so Droll. This is the beauty of Gorey. Why tell a usual story when it can be so strange.
March 9, 2019
Since the Doubtful Guest looks a bit like a penguin, I'm particularly enamored.
***
Now I long for a doubtful guest costume. Building the beak/nose would be the only tricky part, if one already happens to have a Doctor Who-like bizarrely long scarf, as who doesn't? Excellent costume for anyone who feels socially awkward, ie. at least half of humanity. Plus I'm short.
I never actually noticed the son growing up before this time, I don't think.
Personal copy
***
Now I long for a doubtful guest costume. Building the beak/nose would be the only tricky part, if one already happens to have a Doctor Who-like bizarrely long scarf, as who doesn't? Excellent costume for anyone who feels socially awkward, ie. at least half of humanity. Plus I'm short.
I never actually noticed the son growing up before this time, I don't think.
Personal copy
August 5, 2016
"Then they saw something standing on top of an urn,
Whose peculiar appearance gave them quite a turn."
- Edward Gorey, The Doubtful Guest
A dark penguin (?) with white converse shoes, a wool scarf, and an affinity for bowls, plates, and urns shows up and inserts him/her/itself into a gothic Victorian family's estate. I think this book was created on a boozy bet. Gorey bet some absurd friend he could write a small poem of illustrated couplets and use the words:
1. Urn
2. Gramophone
3. Flues
4. Hooks
5. Tureen
6. Wrath
7. Creep
In many ways this is a love note to odd pets. Those animals that come into your home and don't exactly love you back, but become absolutely part of your life. Again, like most Gorey books, this one is absurd, Victorian, gothic, slightly dark and a total hoot. He taps into the cracks and shadows we all usually tuck in tight and hide away and produces a muted laugh every time.
Whose peculiar appearance gave them quite a turn."
- Edward Gorey, The Doubtful Guest
A dark penguin (?) with white converse shoes, a wool scarf, and an affinity for bowls, plates, and urns shows up and inserts him/her/itself into a gothic Victorian family's estate. I think this book was created on a boozy bet. Gorey bet some absurd friend he could write a small poem of illustrated couplets and use the words:
1. Urn
2. Gramophone
3. Flues
4. Hooks
5. Tureen
6. Wrath
7. Creep
In many ways this is a love note to odd pets. Those animals that come into your home and don't exactly love you back, but become absolutely part of your life. Again, like most Gorey books, this one is absurd, Victorian, gothic, slightly dark and a total hoot. He taps into the cracks and shadows we all usually tuck in tight and hide away and produces a muted laugh every time.
January 3, 2019
In una casa vittoriana irrompe un essere strano, apparentemente un pinguino. Si muove goffamente in mezzo agli altrettanto impacciati componenti della famiglia che lo ospita. Fa danni, scompagina i libri, si arrampica su per il camino, mangia anche le stoviglie di casa. Con i suoi disegni raffinati e divertenti, racconta una storia sensa senso che si innesta sulla imperturbabile quotidianità degli abitanti della casa.
April 11, 2020
This was my introduction to Edward Gorey, I became an instant fan and thus began my fascination with his stories and illustrations. That said, these books are not for everyone. They will appeal to those with a humorous dark side who appreciate nonsensical verse with a touch of eccentricity. Think bizarre Dr. Seuss and substitute eerie black & white Edwardian illustrations for the colorful Seussian images. I own a few of Gorey’s books and I pick them up regularly just to clear the creative cobwebs and a sinister laugh.
In this fable, the guest is an odd looking aardvark-type who appears uninvited and then wreaks havoc upon the household and after 17 years is still there (remind anyone of children?). In another humorously twisted tale, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, he challenges the traditional alphabet book and gives us a deranged tale of children who meet with calamitous endings. As I said, not for everyone, but for those of us with a penchant for the absurd and just a hint of the mildly macabre, Gorey was an absolute genius.
In this fable, the guest is an odd looking aardvark-type who appears uninvited and then wreaks havoc upon the household and after 17 years is still there (remind anyone of children?). In another humorously twisted tale, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, he challenges the traditional alphabet book and gives us a deranged tale of children who meet with calamitous endings. As I said, not for everyone, but for those of us with a penchant for the absurd and just a hint of the mildly macabre, Gorey was an absolute genius.
October 16, 2025
Absurdly brilliant in every way!! Whenever you’re feeling melancholy for no particular reason, pick up an Edward Gorey book! His quirky stories and fabulous illustrations are chicken soup for the soul—and funny bone! You’ll be smiling, even laughing, before you know it with this little gem!
June 15, 2024
Εντάξει, τι εντυπώσεις να γράψει κανείς, μέχρι να τελειώσει αυτή η πρόταση θα έχουν χρησιμοποιηθεί περισσότερες λέξεις από όλες μαζι στο κείμενο του Gorey. Αλλά.. δυο πραγματάκια μόνο (ναι, καλά):
1. Από που τρύπωσε πάλι μέσα ο Μπάρτλμπι, το πνεύμα του παράλογου;
2. Εκπληκτικό το πενάκι του Edward Gorey -μόνο σε βιβλία με εικονογράφηση Γκυστάβ Ντορέ τέτοιες ομορφιές..
Η αλήθεια είναι ότι σκοπεύω να ξεκινήσω το «Μεταμόρφωση» την επόμενη εβδομάδα, οπότε έχω ξεκινήσει το ζέσταμα.
Πρέπει να είναι τρελή Περσόνα ο Εδουάρδος (είπαμε, δεν υπάρχει παρελθοντικός χρόνος για τους συγγραφείς - για μένα), αυτός ο βραχμάνος χίπης, κατά τον Patrick Mauries.
Από το κείμενο:
«Δενότανε με πράγματα που ‘παιρνε από το σπίτι.
Για να τα σώσει τα ‘ριχνε στου ποταμού την κοίτη.»
Από το επίμετρο:
«Δεν νομίζω πως με τα χρόνια αποκτούμε περισσότερο ταλέντο ή πως χάνουμε αυτό που έχουμε · νομίζω πως το μόνο που χάνουμε είναι η θέληση να δημιουργήσουμε πράγματα».
Ένα πολυτονικό, μικρό βοτσαλακι που με συνάντησε στην ακρογιαλιά μου..
Lee "Scratch" Perry - Enlightened [Official Video] - YouTube
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G6vucG3...
1. Από που τρύπωσε πάλι μέσα ο Μπάρτλμπι, το πνεύμα του παράλογου;
2. Εκπληκτικό το πενάκι του Edward Gorey -μόνο σε βιβλία με εικονογράφηση Γκυστάβ Ντορέ τέτοιες ομορφιές..
Η αλήθεια είναι ότι σκοπεύω να ξεκινήσω το «Μεταμόρφωση» την επόμενη εβδομάδα, οπότε έχω ξεκινήσει το ζέσταμα.
Πρέπει να είναι τρελή Περσόνα ο Εδουάρδος (είπαμε, δεν υπάρχει παρελθοντικός χρόνος για τους συγγραφείς - για μένα), αυτός ο βραχμάνος χίπης, κατά τον Patrick Mauries.
Από το κείμενο:
«Δενότανε με πράγματα που ‘παιρνε από το σπίτι.
Για να τα σώσει τα ‘ριχνε στου ποταμού την κοίτη.»
Από το επίμετρο:
«Δεν νομίζω πως με τα χρόνια αποκτούμε περισσότερο ταλέντο ή πως χάνουμε αυτό που έχουμε · νομίζω πως το μόνο που χάνουμε είναι η θέληση να δημιουργήσουμε πράγματα».
Ένα πολυτονικό, μικρό βοτσαλακι που με συνάντησε στην ακρογιαλιά μου..
Lee "Scratch" Perry - Enlightened [Official Video] - YouTube
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G6vucG3...
May 26, 2024
Un amigo indeseado.
Me encantan los dibujos de este autor, si fuera millonaria, tendría todos sus libros.
Me encantan los dibujos de este autor, si fuera millonaria, tendría todos sus libros.
September 17, 2017
I can tell that Edward Gorey has influenced many writers with his bizarre little tales as I have read books that contain similarly absurd series of events. I have no idea what the guest is, it looks like a completely black penguin wearing trainers. It seems to do things to annoy it's hosts, sleeping in the tureen and stealing bath towels. The illustrations are wonderfully dark as always, they are so full of detail you could easily get away without the words.
As usual with Edward Gorey nothing is explained, your imagination is left to come up with it's own reasons. Loved this absurd little book.
As usual with Edward Gorey nothing is explained, your imagination is left to come up with it's own reasons. Loved this absurd little book.
Read
July 28, 2022You see this weird penguin-like creature with a striped scarf and white canvas shoes, wandering about, carelessly mysterious and not understood by anyone, including the reader. Is it a metaphor for pets? Children? Aliens? Who knows. All I can say is that you fall in love with it pretty soon.
October 4, 2015
Delightfully odd.
April 20, 2025
What to make of this book? It took about one minute to read and had little to say for itself. As usual with Gorey, his illustrations are interesting, but what's the point? As usual with me, when I first read a Gorey, I don't get it - why do I keep buying his books? If past experience is anything to go by, I'll return to this book and it'll start to find its place, and I mine with it. For now, a doubtful 3/5, which will likely improve with age.
A doubtful guest, indeed.
UPDATE: Let's try this again after a second read and some reflection! Forgetting what I think Gorey is trying to say unlocks what I feel. The Doubtful Guest feels like
Anxiety
Depression
Isolation
It's a guest, so do I invite those things into my life? Maybe, but it's doubtful. I can scream at it to leave, and it ignores me. I sleep, but it gives me no peace. It spoils the things I enjoy, drowns the things I love. Year after year, it shows no sign of going away. What kind of guest is this? 4/5
UPDATE UPDATE: Ok, I get it now. 5/5
A doubtful guest, indeed.
UPDATE: Let's try this again after a second read and some reflection! Forgetting what I think Gorey is trying to say unlocks what I feel. The Doubtful Guest feels like
Anxiety
Depression
Isolation
It's a guest, so do I invite those things into my life? Maybe, but it's doubtful. I can scream at it to leave, and it ignores me. I sleep, but it gives me no peace. It spoils the things I enjoy, drowns the things I love. Year after year, it shows no sign of going away. What kind of guest is this? 4/5
UPDATE UPDATE: Ok, I get it now. 5/5
January 10, 2019
An unexpected guest, a creature in sneakers, arrives at the home of a well-off family and remains for 17 years. As the rhyming couplets relate, there was no hope of the creature departing either.
August 1, 2013
Looks like the guest was an emo anteater! #zotzot Love it!
May 30, 2023
B+W images with rhyming couplets. It tells the humorous tale of a penguin like animal that comes to stay with a wealthy victorian age family on their estate.
September 7, 2013
"At times it would tear out whole chapters from books, or put roomfuls of pictures askew on their hooks."Behind every Gorey character, animal or creature there is a kernel of truth and allusions to something deeper. For me, The Doubtful Guest is difficult not to read as an unwanted child acting out for attention. One of my favorite elements of this short story - a counterpoint to this perspective - is watching the young boy in the family grow up in the shadow of this dark visitor, who is all but a shadow himself. But despite the uneasy tone of the narrative, and its unresolved conclusion, the visitor's white Chuck Taylors always seem to make me smile.
April 14, 2017
"It came seventeen years ago - and to this day it has shown no intention of going away."
Another Bizzare and Twisted read that was recommended to me by goodreads after finishing the "Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories".
The whole story was written in the shape of a metaphor and it kindda belongs to the dark humour genre which I seem to enjoy, it's my first read by Edward Gorey but probably not the last.
Another Bizzare and Twisted read that was recommended to me by goodreads after finishing the "Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories".
The whole story was written in the shape of a metaphor and it kindda belongs to the dark humour genre which I seem to enjoy, it's my first read by Edward Gorey but probably not the last.
October 1, 2022
Preface
This little strange creature who roams around the house and destroys books? What a nightmare. I still enjoy the creepy drawings and rhyming.
(PS: This could be a good way of introducing kids to horror).
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4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This little strange creature who roams around the house and destroys books? What a nightmare. I still enjoy the creepy drawings and rhyming.
(PS: This could be a good way of introducing kids to horror).
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4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
February 22, 2021
সুরিয়ালিস্টিক, এবসার্ড, নন্সেন্স স্ক্রিপ্ট লাইক সুকুমার রয় এন্ড অল-সো মেটাফরিক আই গেজ।
March 1, 2025
Eines Tages nistet sich ein fragwürdiger Gast in ein herrschaftliches Haus ein. Er sieht ein wenig wie großer Pinguin mit weißen Schuhen und wehendem Schal aus, gebärdet sich mehr als merkwürdig. Seine Anwesenheit wird aber mit britischer Gelassenheit hingenommen (Gorey indes war Amerikaner).
April 5, 2025
i loved his little shoes
September 8, 2020
Beautiful pictures, 💛 the doubtful guest
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