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The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories, Timothy Walter BurtonThe Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories is a 1997 poetry book written and illustrated by American film director Timothy Walter Burton. The poems, which are full of black humor, tell stories of hybrid kids, spontaneous transformers, and women who have babies to win over men.Some characters of the book would later appear in the Flash series Stainboy, which was created, directed, and written by Burton: Stick Boy a...
This is me--a huge Tim Burton fan (or so I thought):One day, while carelessly browsing the Internets, I came across a book that I had no idea existed. I couldn't believe my eyes and felt especially stupid when realization hit me: I must have been living under a rock in a God-forsaken place, as never before had I heard of this book:Of course, as soon as I realized that I had to have this book, another realization hit bullseye: remember that God-forsaken place, the one where I lived under a rock?
‘’The final gasp of his short lifeWas sickly with despair.Whoever thought that you could dieFrom breathing outdoor air?’’ For most lovers of the 7th Art, Tim Burton is an incredible talent. For us Gothic aficionados, Tim Burton is a genius, a pioneer whose creations opened the audience's heart and mind to the contemporary Gothic style, aesthetics, and philosophy. He is the one who found the perfect balance between the satire of how most people perceive the Gothic wave, evident in Beetlejuice,
“Alone and rejected, Mummy Boy wept,then went to the cabinetwhere the snack food was kept.” ― Tim Burton, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other StoriesI needed to read today. I didn't want to simply read, I NEEDED to read . I felt a need to clear the voices of Mrs. Dalloway from my mind. The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories, was the perfect book to do so. This is a collection of grim short poems/stories depicting the lives and misfortunes of a group of sympathetic outc...
I'm a fan of Burton's movies. So I was kind of interested in his writings. It wasn't a big surprise to find out that the level of awesome weirdness was similar. The distinctive Burton mixture of darkness and uncomfortable tenderness. I mean, he wrote some really odd poems (technically, not that great, and that is a charming plus) but their sweetness and sensibility are touching. Well, most of the times, they're just sad. However, this book is written in a way that seems to be funny, and for some...
This was FANTASTIC. OH MAN. SO GOOD. I don't have much to say. It's a collection of short poems and accompanying doodles by Tim Burton. It's damned creepy, freaking depressing, laugh out loud funny, and utterly awesome.
Reading this tiny tome was sort of like taking a prolonged vacation on The Island of Really, Really Misfit Toys. The natives are strange but friendly. They take some getting used to, but after a while, you'll want to hug them...BUT be careful - many of them have sharp objects sticking out of their bellies. The Boy with Nails in His EyesThe Boy with Nails in His Eyesput up his aluminum tree.It looked pretty strangebecause he couldn't see. The above is a pretty good example of what's in this boo...
A short collection of macabre poems, illustrated like a children's book, but aimed more at the YA market, and delightful for dark-thinking adults as well. There are lots of gory things about eyes, stories of non-human children (toxic, half robot, half oyster etc) and a most inappropriate present from Santa. Occasionally the rhythm doesn't quite work at the first attempt, but even so, it's great fun. It is strongly reminiscent of Hilaire Belloc's Cautionary Tales for Children (my review HERE), bu...
nothing but macabre, delightfully weird and absolutely nonsensical: this is why i'm a tim burton stan. i couldn't have picked a better time to reread this. halloween month without burton content???? not in this household. "The Boy with Nails in His Eyesput up his aluminum tree.It looked pretty strangebecause he couldn't really see." THIS IS THE //QUALITY CONTENT// I SIGNED UP FOR.i would marry tim burton's humor if i could. most of his art just doesn't make sense at all, and that's why i fuck
22/8/20Very peculiar, but also very good and very Burton.You can find me onYoutube | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Website | The Storygraph
I wonder what it would be like to live inside Tim Burton's head ala Being John Malkovich, such talent, such virile imaginations, to dwell within his noggin for a while, you know? I don't know why but for some reason I have always held Burton's creativity on par with Neil Gaiman's, though their style is very dissimilar, but both have distinct styles, that's almost as important as talent. I feel these little stories about grotesque beauty, and what a beauty it was, were full of metaphors, heavy wi...
8.5/10Damn!!! This is so dark but yet so funny.Its a collection of very short stories about very strange beings. There are no happy endings at all. You see all of those likeable people ( or matchsticks or whatever ) and you think, aww its sad what happened with them, i bet things will be good in the end.........NO.Im not proud but i laughed with the most of the stories, is it something wrong with me? should i be worried?Read this book, i don't know why or how but it will cheer you up
Half-oyster, half-boy, Oyster Boy is born to a perfectly human couple who supposedly conceived him after dining on “one spectatular dish- / a simmering stew of mollusks and fish.” Growing up, Oyster Boy, whose proper name is Sam but is sometimes called "that thing that looks like a clam," becomes a laughingstock (“When the Thompson quadruplets espied him one day, / they called him a bivalve and ran quickly away.) and a picture of sadness and reticence (“One spring afternoon, / Sam was left in th...
Fun fact about me I'm OBSESSED with Tim Burton's work. I'm totally in love with Jack Skellington mostly but all of Tim Burton's work just makes me extremely happy. So it's no surprise this book was a must have on my shelf and in my life. I absolutely loved it!
The melancholy death of the oyster boy was the creepiest one for me I think. Very short, very weird. Tim Burton I think has such a vast imagination which I thoroughly enjoy Although I’m not sure if he’s trying to tell us all that having a child to save a relationship will be the ruin of you? Interesting
Tim Burton's artwork is often described as Goofy Gothic. Simple, surreal, and fantastically strange. I've always been a huge fan of Tim Burton's work in the past, (and ever since I was a kid.) So you can probably imagine how excited I was, to find out about the existence of this book. I recently got the chance to read it, and I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed. The poetry was bizarre and minimalistic, and the artwork simple and odd. (Each had that trademark Tim Burton style) that I love...
I can't believe how old this book is already, stumbled across it whilst looking in a box in the loft. If you are a fan of Tim Burton's a nightmare before Christmas and corpse bride then you'll love this book. The illustrations are stunning and really freaky, the poems themselves are pretty messed up. There are a lot about kids and babies and couples trying for a baby, the results of which don't end well. The titles are genius, examples; Jimmy, the hideous penguin boy and the boy with nails in hi...
This is a collection of very very short stories which are all written in verse and have an accompanying illustration or illustrations. This whole book was written and illustrated by Tim Burton who is one of my favourite artists and I was very intrigued when I stumbled across this on Amazon. It's a very small book but it's a brilliant one and I have to say that it was better than I thought it would be.This collection showcases some of Burton's weird character ideas and stories and whilst some sto...
I love Tim Burton's movies for their beautiful cinematography and sense of macabre with a pinch of dark humor. His poetry is right up my alley, just like the stories of Edward Gorey (who is known to have influenced Burton). Roy, the Toxic BoyTo those who knew him-his friends-we called him Roy.To others he was knownas that horrible Toxic Boy.He loved ammonia and asbestos,and lots of cigarette smoke.What he breathed in for airwould make other people choke!His very favorite toywas a can of aerosol
This is a bit of melancholy fun from Tim Burton, who I adore. I love his skewed view of the world and how he can take the scary or off-putting and make it interesting or even adorable. I love the illustrations that bring his poems and little stories to life.
Tim Burton, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories (Morrow, 1997)Someone needs to explain this to me and fast, `cause I don't get it: how is it that bad poetry (and yes, folks, this is truly bad) and art that looks like a second-rate Edward Gorey ripoff (Burton is not the illustrator that he is the sculptor and animator) can be so insanely funny? I am completely at a loss for why I liked this anywhere near as much as I did.Let's face it, if you squint right while watching The Night...
“Son, are you happy? I don't mean to pry,but do you dream of Heaven?Have you ever wanted to die?”4.5 stars because honestly it's just plain creepy and I want more!As a Tim Burton fan myself, I never heard of this until my cousin, who's probably the BIGGEST Tim Burton fan ever (she wears black and she collects EVERYTHING Tim Burton and I'm rather jealous lol) showed me the book one day when I was visiting. It's the most wondrous and bizarre read I could ever have the pleasure of experiencing. It
I picked this up on a whim and am glad I did! This short collection of stories told in verse is (as you'd expect from Tim Burton) funny, twisted, horrifying, macabre and somehow also rather poignant. The illustrations are marvellous too. Personal fave, The Pincushion Queen:Life isn't easyfor the Pin Cushion Queen.When she sits on her thronepins push through her spleen.
If you're a fan of Tim Burton, you'll love this. It's funny, it's heartwarming, and the art is incredible as usual. I read these all aloud to my sister in between classes and we both loved it a lot. These were definitely meant to be enjoyed aloud and in company!
Truly entertaining! I started out reading to myself, however, I made a chortle and my hubby was curious, so, I began again at the beginning, this time, reading out loud. I thought my eyes might pop out at the final illustration of "Staring Girl," which was clever and surprising. Then, my favorite was, "Voodoo Girl" for both the rhymes and illustrations, which were delicate and creepy. There seemed to be a similar theme to some of the stories, a longed-for offspring turning out to be something ve...
The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories by Tim Burton is exactly what you would expect from a book called The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories by Tim Burton. I mean, come on, it's The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories by Tim Burton! What were you expecting, Shakespeare's sonnets? If you were looking for Shakespeare's sonnets, why did you pick up a book called The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories by Tim Burton? The rhymes aren't great, t...
This book is full of mad ideas and sometimes disturbing themes, but overall these poems are easy to read, enjoyable and enhanced by the wonderful illustrations provided by Tim Burton. It is something that I could easily read just a few poems out of if I didn't have much time, or something that I will definitely be re-reading in its entirity at some point in the future. Robot Boy is my favourite of the collection due to the humour and interesting accompanying images.
The girl who turned into a bed! It happened that dayshe picked up a strange pussy willow.Her head swelled up whiteand a soft as a pillow.Her skin, which had turnedall flaky and rotten,was now replacedwith 100% cotton.Through her organs and torsoshe sprouted like wings,a beautiful setof mattress and springs.It was so terribly strangethat I started to weep.But at least after thatI had a nice place to sleep
This is a collection of short poems accompanied of drawings in which cruelty and tenderness is mixed with some strange and lonely children. It´s a terribly creepy and madly depressing book, but made me laugh too. Voodoo girl Her skin is white cloth,and she’s all sewn apartand she has many colored pinssticking out of her heart.She has many different zombieswho are deeply in her trance.She even has a zombiewho was originally from France.But she knows she has a curse on her,a curse she cannot wi...
4.5/5 starsThis is an amazing, macabre and melancholy book that I just loved so much. If you're a fan of Tim Burton or dark/melancholy humour, this set of short poems and accompanying illustrations would be perfect for you. I enjoyed all of these poems and the illustrations, no matter how weird they were. It was dark but charming, funny but sad and just super quirky. I really don't know what else to say, this was a super quick read (an hour or less) but was full of weird fun. “My name is Jimmy...