(L) From The Glorious Nosebleed (1975); courtesy of The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust. (R) Edward Gorey; photo by Bruce Chernin; courtesy of The Edward Gorey HouseEdward Gorey is known as many things—writer, illustrator, designer, enigma—but not as a namer. Nonetheless, it came with his creative territory, which is vast, playful, and unsettling in a good way.
Gorey’s imagination opened new literary realms similar to one of his influences, Lewis Carroll, or like another prolific writer with magical naming powers, Tove Jansson.
Any Gorey fan, this namer included, delights in the imaginative and memorable names in his literary works. Invented character names, place names, words for objects, and expressions—all infused with a singular Gorey-ness—punctuated this year, in celebration of 100 years since his birth.