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'The most sensational trial of the 19th century. Merlin Holland has produced a gripping and fascinating volume that entirely supersedes previous accounts of the Queensberry trial. Along with a number of unfamiliar biographical details and intriguing glimpses into his private life, it gives us, for the first time, a real sense of how Wilde actually spoke in conversation. As a work of dramatic legal literature it ranks with Plato's account of the trial of Socrates. While Wilde failed to make life conform to the laws of his own writing, he did at least succeed in turning one of the most important episodes in his biography into a kind of art.' Daily Telegraph
'We can now watch the drama unfold, as the prosecution of Queensberry is aborted and Wilde becomes the figure under pressure, his clever replies and elegant evasions proving no match for the terrier-like persistence of Edward Henry Carson QC.' Independent
'Wilde seems to have run into the arms of his own destruction. He had tasted fame, and success, and wealth. He wanted the complete life, which would encompass shame and infamy as well as glory and applause. They may all be discovered in this book.' The Times
Independent on Sunday
'Makes for horribly exhilarating reading.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
While reading this book you follow Oscar through the worst period of his life, in court, denying his identity. It feels like you're there in the courtroom with him, watching the terrible events unfold. You can feel the trial slipping away in Queensberry's favour, and truth be told it makes for quite painful reading. It's wonderful to hear Oscar still making people laugh, even under cross-examination from an old college fellow - he said Edward Carson would "pursue his case with all the added bitterness of an old friend" and he was right. Oscar's sharp witticisms are often a light relief from the darkness that covers the trial.
If you are interested in Wilde then this is essential reading. It's an inescapable part of his life, and this is, without a doubt, the best account you will get of it.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is really one of a kind - the transcript of one of history's most famous and most scandalous trials.
Reading the details and transcripts of Wilde's trial is a strange and intriguing experience. The reader becomes totally involved in the already-decided fate of Wilde; one moment entertained and laughing at Wilde's unique aphorisms and put-downs, the next heart-wrenchingly appalled at the futility of such remarks in the face of his ever-increasingly inevitable fate. It is interesting to note, for example, that although Wilde has been adopted as a gay hero, he is unwaveringly adamant in his denial of his own homosexuality - a harsh and sad reflection of the ignorance of the times. At once a historical document (the repetition of the charge of 'sodomy' for example is due to the fact that the term 'homosexuality' did not exist at this point, and Wilde's trial was one factor in its appearance in the English language), and an emotionally gripping novel-like journey, this text is compulsive reading.
Reading the details and transcripts of Wilde's trial is a strange and intriguing experience. The reader becomes totally involved in the already-decided fate of Wilde; one moment entertained and laughing at Wilde's unique aphorisms and put-downs, the next heart-wrenchingly appalled at the futility of such remarks in the face of his ever-increasingly inevitable fate. It is interesting to note, for example, that although Wilde has been adopted as a gay hero, he is unwaveringly adamant in his denial of his own homosexuality - a harsh and sad reflection of the ignorance of the times. At once a historical document (the repetition of the charge of 'sodomy' for example is due to the fact that the term 'homosexuality' did not exist at this point, and Wilde's trial was one factor in its appearance in the English language), and an emotionally gripping novel-like journey, this text is compulsive reading.
Format:Paperback
If you want to know the real Oscar Wilde and the gross misjustice perpetrated on him because of his homosexuality, read this book by his grandson Merlin Holland. It is excellent!
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