In this long-awaited bioraphy, Wilde the legendary Victorian - brilliant writer and conversationalist, reckless flouter of social and sexual conventions - is brought to life. More astute and forbearing, yet more fallible than legend has allowed, Wilde is given here the dimensions of a modern hero. Based on fresh material from many hitherto-untapped sources, Ellmann depicts Wilde's comet-like ascent on the Victorian scene and his equally dramatic sudden eclipse. His Irish background, the actresses to whom he paid court, his unfortunate wife and lovers, his clothes, coiffures, and the decor of his rooms - all are presented here in vivid detail. The saga of his 1882 American tour is recounted with a wealth of new details; also his later impact on the bastions of the French literary establishment. The London of the Nineties, of Whistler and the Pre-Raphaelites, Lillie Langtry and the Prince of Wales, is evoked alongside Paris of the "belle epoque" and the Greece, Italy and North Africa of Wilde's travels. Ellmann's definitive critical account of Wilde's entire oeuvre shows him as the proponent of a radical new aesthetic who was perilously at odds with Victorian society. After his period of success and daring, the fatal love affair with Lord Alfred Douglas is followed by exposure, imprisonment, a few wretched years abroad and death in exile. The tragic end of Wilde's life leaves the reader with a sense of compassion and grief for the protagonist. This edition make the popular and best selling biography available in paperback for the first time.
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First Sentence
Oscar Wilde first emerges for us into articulate being in 1868, when he was thirteen, in a letter he wrote to his mother from school. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Oscar Wilde first emerges for us into articulate being in 1868, when he was thirteen, in a letter he wrote to his mother from school. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By OnceIWas
Format:Paperback
This book is wonderful, in every aspect; one that genuinely deserves its 5 star rating. Ellmann has written a biography that must make other biographers jealous, as I've never read one that comes close to this in terms of depth, honesty and breadth of knowledge. I've been reading Wilde for years and thought I knew a lot about him; yet there are details in here about his life that I knew nothing about. It's like discovering Oscar Wilde all over again.
One of the things that makes this book so powerful is the tremendous feeling of empathy you get for Wilde from Ellmann. Reading the tragic episodes that constitiuted Wilde's life and death is often painful, especially towards the end.
But it's not all about the life that most people remember him for these days - sometimes we forget that Oscar had a successful career as a journalist and lecturer on both sides of the Atlantic, and learning about his days at Oxford, to his American tour, to his fame in London with his social life is an absolute pleasure. Understanding his notoriety and reputation of this period, and how he enjoyed it and played with the press, is wonderful.
If you would like to discover or rediscover a truly great man, then I urge you to read this book.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The scope, breadth, and insight of this book are extraordinary. This is 180 degrees from the masses of shallow, flashy celebrity biographies. This book is hardly a quick read -Ellmann explores every facet of his subject with amazing depth- and the result is a sometimes hilarious, sometimes sad book. --Suky
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By "fgazi"
Format:Paperback
Of all the books written on Oscar Wilde, this is the only work that matches the genius and generosity of the subject. This book works in many layers and is sometimes overwhelming in its breadth. You may find that it will spoil your appetite for other biographies you may read in the future - for it will take a lot to come close to the bar set by Professor Ellmann.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A gigantic achievement
As someone who loves biographies and has read dozens of them, I can say - hand on heart - that this is the best I've ever read. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Andreas Stavros
5.0 out of 5 stars
a full book and well written
A thoroughly enjoyable biography about this great and extraordinary personality. Packed full of interesting facts as well as photographs this is a full resume of a life that still... Read more
Published on 2 Dec 2009 by inch worm
2.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely intellectual, too much for me!!!
I was looking forward to reading this book with great anticipation solely because of the other reviews, which praised it highly. Read more
Published on 27 Aug 2009 by W. R. Robinson
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