Edward Gorey: The Osbick Bird

Emblus Fingby’s life was changed forever with the unexpected arrival of the osbick bird. The two became inseparable companions, enjoying card games, musical interludes, and sunset strolls. They took tea together, passed the time making arts and crafts, and perhaps only occasionally had disagreements. Their curious relationship came to an end only with the utmost display of loyalty. In The Osbick Bird, Edward Gorey neatly examines the uncertainties of life with his signature unsettling humor and deftly drawn illustrations. Find meaning where you will among the twinkling rhymes and crosshatched lines: Is this tender tale a primer on friendship, or possibly an examination of an artist and his muse? Though short in length, the story is sure to linger long in your imagination.

Edward Gorey

Artist and author Edward Gorey (American, 1925–2000) is beloved for the boundless imagination and sharp humor exhibited in his more than 100 published works. Gorey was also a set and costume designer for innumerable theater productions, including a staging of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, for which he won a Tony. He had a profound affection for literature, film, ballet, and animals. Cats and other odd creatures appear in many of his crosshatched illustrations. His humorously unsettling drawings of vaguely Victorian innocents facing unfortunate ends became familiar to a wide audience after appearing in the opening credits of the PBS television series Mystery! Gorey’s Cape Cod home, a veritable cabinet of curiosities, is now a museum celebrating his life and work.