The Gilded Bat

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Summary: Gorey Takes on Ballet
Review: What a delightful, albeit macabre, Gorey story is THE GILDED BAT. It is apparent that Edward Gorey had a passion for ballet. He dedicated this book to ballerina Diana Adams. Every page demonstrates his knowledge of the subject, which he presents in a typically twisted, yet surprisingly tender way. In thirty pages of text (one sentence per page) and as many brilliant illustrations, Gorey delivers the biography of one fictitious dancer, Maudie Splaytoes, known later in her diva years as Mirella Splatova. If you are a dancer, you probably have the picture by now, and are scrambling to find your own copy of this book. We follow Maudie from her first steps in ballet, to her childhood debut as a sparrow in "Bain d'Oiseaux" (French for birdbath), on through stardom and her signature role as the gilded bat, and beyond to the abrupt conclusion of her career (only Gorey could have concocted this flight of fancy!). What amazes me is the way Gorey used brevity as his razor-sharp tool. He not only tells us a lovingly bizarre tale, but evokes an entire bygone era in ballet history, all in thirty sentences! His pictorial depiction of dancers makes you want to sit and study his drawings for hours. These are creatures with overly elongated hands and feet, with plump thighs and much too much turn-out. Here is a satirical tribute to the birds of ballet repertory, such as the Firebird and Odette/Odile from Swan Lake. And here is a tribute to the life of a dancer. I think this book would appeal to Gorey fans in general. A knowledge of dance and of the French language would make this an even richer journey. For ballet dancers and aficionados, this is required reading!