Instant Lives

by Howard Moss, Edward Gorey (Illustrator)

At long last, Oscar Wilde, Frédéric Chopin, El Greco, Gertrude Stein and thirty other composers, painters, poets, and performers have been accorded the ultimate in immortality. Using fact as a mere stepping stone, Howard Moss and Edward Gorey have created a series of elegant, erudite, and perfectly hilarious life-sketches that make INSTANT LIVES a satiric landmark in the annals of biography.

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Essays, Classics, Poetry

127 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Caroline]

Variable. Some of the mini-lives were on-target and creative (Joyce, Ford Madox Ford), while others were mundane or ‘huh?’ More of the latter than the former.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edward Gorey's illustrations are crucial to Howard Moss's satirical "biographies" of famous artists: without his drawings, the stories wouldn't be nearly as charming and wouldn't land as well. (This is particularly important for artists who are more obscure now than they were in the 1970s, when this book was published.)

Not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny, but I chuckled more than once, and I found it very enjoyable. Moss's "life" of James Joyce could be called an A+ trolling of the man, and if Howard Moss were alive, I would track him down just to high-five him for it.

One content note: There is an odd, throwaway line about a transsexual that I think is a joke, but I honestly can't figure it out, and I can't even tell you if it's mean-spirited or not (although, as we know, intent is not magical). It's so old-fashioned I can't even tell what Moss was trying to get at, which makes me think that if he had been writing this book even 20 years later, he wouldn't have included it.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uneven set of fairly esoteric short bios, with the great Gorey illustrations.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This laugh-out-loud book parodies famous writers including (in particularly funny chapters) Hemingway, Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen. I about peed myself the first time I read the Gertrude Stein chapter.

[S G-W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loses a star because there is not a Gorey illustration for every person, and also I feel as if he didn’t get a chance to finish his Oscar Wilde illustration, which, really, should have had a particular chance to shine (he may have just spent too much time around Oscar’s eyes).

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book saved by Gorey's illustrations and Augustin Eugene Scribe's supposed one and two-line plays.

[Jean-Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought it for the illustrations, read it for the illustrations, and will treasure it for the illustrations. Mostly. Not all of the biographical vignettes were equally hilarious or entertaining, but I'm certain some fell flat simply because I lacked sufficient background knowledge on the subject. Highlights included Emily Dickinson and Henry James, who, with his overabundance of commas, was spot on, as well as Marcel Proust. Having never read Proust, I'm now convinced that I never will. One Google search—Proust's longest sentence—was enough to leave me disturbed. Name-dropping has never been funnier than in "The Ultimate Diary."

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one would have only scored 2 stars if it were not for the illustrations by Gorey. These vignettes are dense satire and if you are not familiar with the person and/or their works they will be impenetrable. Even if you are familiar with them some of these made no sense whatsoever. Yes, this has its clever moments but Moss just tried too hard and he comes across stuffy and arrogant and it didn't work for me. (The Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley offering did make me laugh out loud.)

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird and often charming satirical pieces on various authors (in their own writing styles!), poets, musicians and other creative folks. Edward Gorey's illustrations definitely make the prose work, but as noted elsewhere it definitely helps if you're familiar with the works and elements the author is satirizing.

[Jan Priddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun—smart, funny, snarky and sharp—more fun when you know specifics about his historical characters. Gorey was more interesting to me than the text, but if you are well versed in classics (literary and musical), you will likely enjoy this slim book.

[Eri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I just found this book very confusing. Even for the historical figures I knew a little more about, the stories were just odd, maybe slightly entertaining. The illustrations were charming, but that's pretty much all I can say.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious! Highly recommended!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book when I found it on a sale table at age 15. I was delighted at the humorous, arch style + twisted art of "embellished" biography.

[K. Fox (Cahill) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn’t even try to understand the content, I just love Edward Gorey

[Jrobertus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the funniest, wittiest book I have read in years. Moss was the poetry editor for the New Yorker, an erudite chap indeed. In addition the book is illustrated by Edward Gorey. The book is short vignettes of famous artists, musicians, and writers. They are written in the style of the artist or that of their biographers. It helps to be familiar with these people to get the full effect. All the stories are funny, but the ones about Jane Austen, the Brontes, Ford Maddox Ford, Ibsen, El Greco, and Chopin brought tears to my eyes.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2-3 page satires on various authors, composers, and artists. Some of them are quite clever, others a bit thick for comprehension. Of course, that may be my poor knowledge, as I had to look up some of the included characters...

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gorey illustrations are, of course, fabulous. The depiction of Proust was exceptionally entertaining. The prose was a bit dodgy in places; the brief bios of Emily Dickinson, Debussy, and the Brontë sisters were great, but some of the others were rather impenetrable.

[Megan Salter · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I'm not a music aficionado, I found those biographies impenetrable, as did another reviewer. I consider myself pretty well-educated but felt I was being left out of the joke in several spots. Any flaws this book might possess are made up for by the fantastic contributions by Gorey. :)

[Jeff Laughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this. A lot.

[W.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious, dead-on parodies of artists...illustrated by Gorey!

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful little find! Short takes on famous authors and musicians illustrated by Edward Gorey.

[Redgie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the Austen and Brontes
And amazing drawings by Gorey!

[Dixie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Funny bits, but not enough of them. The best part of the book for me was the Edward Gorey illustrations.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book dissolved me into fits of laughter. A fast read, and a funny one.