In his later years, Edward Gorey — known for his eerie crosshatch drawings and stories — lived in Yarmouth, MA, which happens to be where I grew up. So the town and school libraries were always stocked with Gorey books, and I read those books over and over again as a kid.
One interesting thing about Gorey is that he published under dozens of bizarre pen names, all of them anagrams of “Edward Gorey.” Here are some examples:
- D. Awdrey-Gore
- Deary Rewdgo
- Dewda Yorger
- Dogear Wryde
- E. G. Deadworry
- Ogdred Weary
- Raddory Gewe
- Regera Dowdy
- Waredo Dyrge
We’ve already come up with Ben Franklin-style pen names, so I thought it would be fun to try some Edward Gorey-style pen names this time around.
Here are a few anagrams for my name, Nancy Man:
- Anna C. Nym
- Ann McNay
- Cam Nynan
- Macy Nann
- Myc Nanan
- Myna Cann
- N. N. Cayman
- N. Y. MacNan
- Yna McAnn
Can you come up with any Gorey-style pen names for your name?
Sources: Futility Closet, Edward Gorey – Wikipedia
Image: Cover of The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey