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The Picture of Dorian Gray, with eBook Audiobook
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(3.00) - 250,553 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Oscar Wilde brings his enormous gifts for astute social observation and sparkling prose to The Picture of Dorian Gray, his dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. This dandy, who remains forever unchanged—petulant, hedonistic, vain, and amoral—while a painting of him ages and grows increasingly hideous with the years, has been horrifying and enchanting readers for more than 100 years. Taking the reader in and out of London drawing rooms, to the heights of aestheticism, and to the depths of decadence, The Picture of Dorian Gray is not simply a melodrama about moral corruption. Laced with bon mots and vivid depictions of upper-class refinement, it is also a fascinating look at the milieu of Wilde's fin-de-siècle world and a manifesto of the creed "Art for Art's Sake." The ever-quotable Wilde, who once delighted London with his scintillating plays, scandalized readers with this, his only novel. Upon publication, Dorian was condemned as dangerous, poisonous, stupid, vulgar, and immoral, and Wilde as a "driveling pedant." The novel, in fact, was used against Wilde at his much-publicized trials for "gross indecency," which led to his imprisonment and exile on the European continent. Even so, The Picture of Dorian Gray firmly established Wilde as one of the great voices of the Aesthetic movement and endures as a classic that is as timeless as its hero.
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"wonderful story of a man who finds out how life is and who becomes something that he is not. I think this is what happens with all of us at a certain age, we are all good people at the beginning but we have to change during the life. And the metaphor of the picture is great. "
— Ioana (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Simon Prebble perfectly achieves Lord Henry’s ‘low, languid voice’ and sparkling conversation, while avidly expressing the other characters’ more torrid emotions. Prebble brings the fable’s gothic horror to life.”
— AudioFile -
Simon Prebble perfectly achieves Lord Henry's 'low, languid voice' and sparkling conversation, while avidly expressing the other characters' more torrid emotions.
— AudioFile
Awards
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A Literary Hub Pick of Great Irish Novels Not Set in Ireland
The Picture of Dorian Gray, with eBook Listener Reviews
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" Light on action, long on dialogue, much quite clever. The book has Dorian Gray wrestle with the main themes from Ecclesiastes, and lose. How dissipate would our life be if none of our sins could be seen upon us? "
— Dennis, 2/7/2014 -
" I read this book during college. Amazing story. Something similar to humans desires and learnings... "
— Ana, 2/1/2014 -
" I wasn't sure about what to think about this one. First, it seemed like Dorian Gray was a self-obsessed, shallow freak. Then Basil professed his love for him. I was kind of thrown for a loop. "
— Clarissa, 1/23/2014 -
" It is a really exciting story full of unexpected events. Loved it from the beginning to the very end. "
— Behzad, 1/22/2014 -
" This is for people who only care about themselves, how poor Dorian looks young through the years but his soul get old every moment. You can lie to others but never to yourself. "
— Rosa, 1/20/2014 -
" A wonderful satire of 19th century British upper class. Lord Henry is the very model of everything that the common folk hate about the upper class. Worth reading. "
— Garrett, 1/7/2014 -
" veery good book but maybe a little too theoretical and philosophical...surely need to read it again to understand everything^^ "
— Athena, 12/21/2013 -
" It's the best book of Oscar Wilde. I like this brilliant novel! "
— Kokoro, 12/18/2013 -
" Interesting & entertaining to think of life like those in this story. Thought provoking read. "
— Kristen, 12/15/2013 -
" A suspicion that he was trying to be shocking, but I missed the class on Wilde, and probably missed some of what's imporant about this book as a result. "
— Sarah, 11/17/2013 -
" The plot is excellent, but what really makes this book an absolute crime to miss is Wilde's completely incomparable mastery of the English language. Beautifully written. "
— Joel, 10/25/2013 -
" Probably one of my favourite reads of all time, a true classic. "
— Amelia, 8/3/2013 -
" Absoutely fantastic. Probably the best book I've ever read. Seriously. I recommend it to everyone- it's a fantastic book. "
— Cameo, 7/8/2013 -
" Didn't think I'd enjoy this first venture into Wilde's writing but I did. The biography next...... "
— Roddy, 6/6/2013 -
" An absolutely tantalizing book. I was caught in it since the beginning! "
— Ele, 3/1/2013 -
" Was pretty disappointed by this. I had much higher expectations than what it actually delivered. "
— Shenoah, 11/22/2012 -
" one of my best books ever !!!! "
— Aula, 8/21/2012 -
" A beautiful and poignant picture of the human soul. Despite being dense and verbose at times, Wilde's narrative is highly accessible. Thought-provoking, challenging and poetic, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a must-read classic! "
— Hannah, 8/5/2012 -
" Read "The Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray", to compare the two versions. "
— Hima, 5/11/2012 -
" Love the satire and inteligent phrases that still apply to society "
— Giselle, 6/28/2011 -
" I found much of this difficult to read in this day and age, especially the epigramatic dialog but the rest was very good. Not my first time and would recommend as an important classic to read. "
— Carol, 5/22/2011 -
" This novel isn't as well known as <em>Dracula</em> or <em>Frankenstein</em> but it is just as good. In some ways, it is darker than those two as well. "
— Drucilla, 5/20/2011 -
" This novel isn't as well known as <em>Dracula</em> or <em>Frankenstein</em> but it is just as good. In some ways, it is darker than those two as well. "
— Drucilla, 5/20/2011 -
" This novel isn't as well known as <em>Dracula</em> or <em>Frankenstein</em> but it is just as good. In some ways, it is darker than those two as well. "
— Drucilla, 5/20/2011 -
" This novel isn't as well known as <em>Dracula</em> or <em>Frankenstein</em> but it is just as good. In some ways, it is darker than those two as well. "
— Drucilla, 5/20/2011 -
" Had a hard time finishing it. Maybe it's because I really don't like him. "
— Heather, 5/19/2011 -
" I feel the urge to add that I have read this in three languages. I guess this sums up how much I like it. "
— Julia, 5/19/2011 -
" Had a hard time finishing it. Maybe it's because I really don't like him. "
— Heather, 5/19/2011 -
" I feel the urge to add that I have read this in three languages. I guess this sums up how much I like it. "
— Julia, 5/19/2011 -
" Had a hard time finishing it. Maybe it's because I really don't like him. "
— Heather, 5/19/2011 -
" I feel the urge to add that I have read this in three languages. I guess this sums up how much I like it. "
— Julia, 5/19/2011 -
" Had a hard time finishing it. Maybe it's because I really don't like him. "
— Heather, 5/19/2011 -
" I feel the urge to add that I have read this in three languages. I guess this sums up how much I like it. "
— Julia, 5/19/2011 -
" I've read this book a couple of times over the years and have always enjoyed it. "
— Wilde, 5/19/2011 -
" Exquisite... the word that came to my mind after the last page of this wonderful piece of art. I can't really say much, but its interesting how everything goes around the arts, the beauty and the greed. <br/><br/>Go and read this, period. "
— Jose, 5/18/2011 -
" Exquisite... the word that came to my mind after the last page of this wonderful piece of art. I can't really say much, but its interesting how everything goes around the arts, the beauty and the greed. <br/><br/>Go and read this, period. "
— Jose, 5/18/2011 -
" Clever wordplay, flowery symbolism, tortured souls. Gotta love Oscar Wilde. "
— Kristen, 5/17/2011 -
" Clever wordplay, flowery symbolism, tortured souls. Gotta love Oscar Wilde. "
— Kristen, 5/17/2011 -
" wonderful story of a man who finds out how life is and who becomes something that he is not. I think this is what happens with all of us at a certain age, we are all good people at the beginning but we have to change during the life. And the metaphor of the picture is great. "
— Ioana, 5/16/2011
About Oscar Wilde
Geoffrey Giuliano is the author of over twenty internationally bestselling biographies, including the London Sunday Times bestseller Blackbird: The Life and Times of Paul McCartney and Dark Horse: The Private Life of George Harrison. In addition, he can be heard on the Westwood One Radio Network and has written and produced over sixty original spoken-word albums and video documentaries on various aspects of popular culture.