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Oscar Wilde Audiobook
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(4.01) - 1,402 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Frank Harris, a journalist and editor, delighted in Oscar Wilde’s genial wit and self-assurance. Wilde’s verbal charms evoked Harris’ financial and emotional support when Victorian England disdained the playwright for his paganism and imprisoned him for “homosexual offenses.” Harris relates the proceedings of Wilde’s trial and the malice that sent him to France after release from prison.
Later years found Harris increasingly frustrated with Wilde, as the playwright’s humor gave way to bitterness and self-pity. Repeatedly, Harris urged the author of The Importance of Being Earnest to continue to write. His pleas were met with excuses, indolence, and incessant requests for money. Harris’ frustration peaked when he bought an idea for a play from Wilde, then learned that Wilde had already sold the idea to several others.
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"I read this biography because of an upcoming trip to Ireland. It is excellent and complete. The missing star in my rating is because it is almost six hundred pages in length and not all of the French is translated, a bummer for those of us who do not read the language. It is an easy read of a complex man with philosophies described and discussed in detail. I am grateful that I did not live in those times although the odds of moving in such elitist circles are unimaginable."
— Bruce (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“The best life of Wilde.”
— George Bernard Shaw -
“The best biography ever written by an American.”
— H.L. Mencken -
“Only a man of courage could have written it. It will endure side by side with Oscar Wilde.”
— New Republic -
“Whitfield’s delivery is…easy on the ear.”
— Audiofile
Oscar Wilde Listener Reviews
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" Thorough. Excellent. "
— Mark, 2/17/2014 -
" Wonderful book of the sometimes tragic life of one of literature's most brillant characters. "
— Kenneth, 1/16/2014 -
" "Biography lends to death a new terror." -Oscar Wilde "
— Cynthia, 1/5/2014 -
" Great - a must for anyone interested in Oscar Wilde. "
— Theresa, 12/24/2013 -
" I love this book, its interesting and symapthetic for Oscar and covers his life well before and after his infamy! "
— Marie, 12/10/2013 -
" I was a gay man when I was 17 years old, I swear. "
— Eva, 11/30/2013 -
" Great bio of a most interesting (understatement) character. "
— Shannon, 11/30/2013 -
" There are some factual errors in this book, which Ellmann wrote shortly before he died (a review of the scholarship can uncover these). Nevertheless, it is an indispensable biography for all Wilde scholars and those who simply love him as a writer and wit. "
— Clifton, 11/26/2013 -
" An exemplary biography - elegantly told, scrupulously researched, detailed, compassionate and complete. "
— Lee, 11/21/2013 -
" A little too much detail for me. I felt like if the author found Oscar's grocery list he'd include it. "
— Vaughnda, 11/15/2013 -
" A great read and an essential life, but depressingly insistent in its attempts to enlist Wilde's writing for a kind of middlebrow acceptability, and pathetic on his sexuality. "
— Andrew, 10/29/2013 -
" like everyone says, the definitive biography of O.W. but the syphillis thing? COME ON!! but i like this book b/c it gives so many details and it so well written and researched, except for the syphillis thing, as i said before. "
— Jennifer, 9/13/2013 -
" A meticulously researched book, a true lover of Wilde. A hard read at times because it seems that you must be very familiar with Wilde's work, even more obscure pieces, and his contemporaries. But he writes about the tragedy of Wilde's unjust imprisonment with great sensitivity. "
— Caitlin, 7/25/2013 -
" Read this a long while ago, but I remember it being an informative and intelligent biography, without being too academic. "
— minnie, 6/30/2013 -
" oscar is my favorite geigh evar. we have the same birthday. "
— Tara, 2/26/2013 -
" The only biography - quite simply a masterpiece. (Except for the unfortunate photograph of 'Oscar' in drag, mistakenly identified by Ellmann.) "
— Angela, 12/30/2012 -
" my god footnotes on footnotes "
— Roxanne, 4/3/2012 -
" It's an amazing biography "
— Veronica, 3/12/2012 -
" Greatly detailed, perhaps a little romantisized, and my go-to book for almost anything Wildean. "
— Djrmel, 11/8/2011 -
" this actually is a lifechanging book "
— Michael, 8/23/2011 -
" My second favorite literary biography of all time, second only to Sybill Bedford's biography of Aldous Huxley. This is also the saddest literary life I've ever read, and yet remains over a century later a landmrk in literary and civil rights history. "
— J., 8/8/2011 -
" I learned a lot. I found the whole thing fascinating. I could have done without some of the really minor details, but overall, I enjoyed it. "
— Sarah, 1/19/2011 -
" This biography is worth every minute. When finished, you will understand Oscar Wilde the man, and you will mourn for him. That's about the best recommendation I can write. "
— Terry, 1/9/2011 -
" I'm reading this for a class so been putting alot of extra effort into understanding but I with it was more blunt sometimes:/ that way I always knew what he was trying to say. "
— Natalie, 10/22/2010
About Frank Harris
Frank Harris (1856–1931), born in Ireland of Welsh parents, was a naturalized-American author, editor, journalist, and publisher. He attracted much attention during his life for his irascible, aggressive personality, editorship of famous periodicals, and friendship with the talented and famous. He is remembered mainly for his multiple-volume memoir My Life and Loves, which was banned in countries around the world for its sexual explicitness.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.