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A Picture of Dorian Gray by Bartlett, Neil, Wilde, Oscar (2013) Paperback
Believe me, no civilised man ever regrets a pleasure...
As London slides from one century into the next, a young man is cursed with the uncanny ability to remain both young and beautiful while descending into a life of heartless debauchery. With its glittering dialogue, provocative imagery and radical questioning of sexual and moral freedoms all brought sharply into focus by this brand-new adaptation, Oscar Wilde’s infamous parable has lost none of its power to provoke and disturb.
Using Wilde’s original words, a company of sixteen actors and all of adaptor Neil Bartlett’s trademark theatricality, this new stage version of Wilde’s black-hearted parable was commissioned by and first produced at the Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s national theatre in the autumn season of 2012.
As London slides from one century into the next, a young man is cursed with the uncanny ability to remain both young and beautiful while descending into a life of heartless debauchery. With its glittering dialogue, provocative imagery and radical questioning of sexual and moral freedoms all brought sharply into focus by this brand-new adaptation, Oscar Wilde’s infamous parable has lost none of its power to provoke and disturb.
Using Wilde’s original words, a company of sixteen actors and all of adaptor Neil Bartlett’s trademark theatricality, this new stage version of Wilde’s black-hearted parable was commissioned by and first produced at the Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s national theatre in the autumn season of 2012.
Paperback
First published April 16, 2013
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About the author
Neil Bartlett
72 books79 followersBorn in 1958, Neil Bartlett has spent twenty-five years at the cutting edge of British gay culture. His ground-breaking study of Oscar Wilde, Who Was That Man? paved the way for a queer re-imagining of history ; his first novel, Ready To Catch Him Should He Fall, was voted Capital Gay Book of The Year; his second, Mr Clive and Mr Page, was nominated for the Whitbread Prize. Both have since been translated into five European languages. Listing him as one of the country's fifty most significant gay cultural figures, the Independent said "Brilliant,beautiful, mischievous; few men can match Bartlett for the breadth of his exploration of gay sensibility".
He also works as a director, and in 2000 was awarded an OBE for services to the theatre. He founded his first theatre company in 1982 and is now an "independent theatre-maker and freelance director", continuing to write novels and work as an activist for gay rights.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
He also works as a director, and in 2000 was awarded an OBE for services to the theatre. He founded his first theatre company in 1982 and is now an "independent theatre-maker and freelance director", continuing to write novels and work as an activist for gay rights.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 4, 2025
"Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic".
There have been very few times in my life when a book has left me speechless. Finishing "A Picture of Dorian Gray" was one of these rare occasions. Dorian Gray is singlehandedly one of the most beautifully written characters I've ever had the joy of witnessing; at first, an inherently pure, beautiful soul who gets stuck at a crossroads. It's a moral tale, begging the question, what are the consequences of possessing eternal beauty and youth? The portrait reflecting the corruption of Dorian's soul is masterfully creative. It's interesting to explore the context of this book, alongside the other characters, Lord Henry and Basil, from the perspective of aestheticism. While one might think at first, that Wilde promotes the core tenet of aestheticism, "art for art's sake", Dorian serves as a prime example of the dangers of unchecked aestheticism -- the moral decay and self-absorption following Dorian's spiral of hedonism and eventual "ugliness". What got me thinking is the idea that Dorian was at the end of it all, Lord Henry's test subject... how his psyche was so easily manipulated, making me question, what capacity does a mentor have to morph his mentee's psyche, and what are the moral implications of this? A philosophical feast for the mind, as a whole.
This story just begs for so much post-read introspection, deep thinking, and existential contemplation. It begs the questions... do we really want to live forever? What's the price we pay for debauchery, hedonism, self-obsession, and narcissism? What appeals to me about Wilde's writing is his clarity; he doesn't beat around the bush, but rather, is so abundantly to-the-point that it radiates of a beauty that can only be found in the truth. Beyond all this, there were moments of true silliness, ones that I did not expect to encounter whilst reading a classic, which made the experience all-the-more enjoyable.
Learning more about Oscar Wilde's own life story adds a depth and richness to the reading experience that's unparalleled. Wilde writes,
"The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the coloured canvas, reveals himself. The reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid that I have shown in it the secret of my own soul."
What's ironic is that "Dorian Gray" is Wilde's exposé of himself; a fictional autobiography. It's interesting to consider how Dorian is a representation of both the person Wilde wished he was, as well as the type of person he found himself in love with. He creates a secondary persona, one which he has split his individual experiences into the lives and experiences of the characters in this novel, giving us a taste of his life without revealing which details are fact versus fictional. It's quite a work of genius.
I can't say enough about this book, but it has truly grasped me back into the world of reading classics, which I am beyond grateful for.
There have been very few times in my life when a book has left me speechless. Finishing "A Picture of Dorian Gray" was one of these rare occasions. Dorian Gray is singlehandedly one of the most beautifully written characters I've ever had the joy of witnessing; at first, an inherently pure, beautiful soul who gets stuck at a crossroads. It's a moral tale, begging the question, what are the consequences of possessing eternal beauty and youth? The portrait reflecting the corruption of Dorian's soul is masterfully creative. It's interesting to explore the context of this book, alongside the other characters, Lord Henry and Basil, from the perspective of aestheticism. While one might think at first, that Wilde promotes the core tenet of aestheticism, "art for art's sake", Dorian serves as a prime example of the dangers of unchecked aestheticism -- the moral decay and self-absorption following Dorian's spiral of hedonism and eventual "ugliness". What got me thinking is the idea that Dorian was at the end of it all, Lord Henry's test subject... how his psyche was so easily manipulated, making me question, what capacity does a mentor have to morph his mentee's psyche, and what are the moral implications of this? A philosophical feast for the mind, as a whole.
This story just begs for so much post-read introspection, deep thinking, and existential contemplation. It begs the questions... do we really want to live forever? What's the price we pay for debauchery, hedonism, self-obsession, and narcissism? What appeals to me about Wilde's writing is his clarity; he doesn't beat around the bush, but rather, is so abundantly to-the-point that it radiates of a beauty that can only be found in the truth. Beyond all this, there were moments of true silliness, ones that I did not expect to encounter whilst reading a classic, which made the experience all-the-more enjoyable.
Learning more about Oscar Wilde's own life story adds a depth and richness to the reading experience that's unparalleled. Wilde writes,
"The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the coloured canvas, reveals himself. The reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid that I have shown in it the secret of my own soul."
What's ironic is that "Dorian Gray" is Wilde's exposé of himself; a fictional autobiography. It's interesting to consider how Dorian is a representation of both the person Wilde wished he was, as well as the type of person he found himself in love with. He creates a secondary persona, one which he has split his individual experiences into the lives and experiences of the characters in this novel, giving us a taste of his life without revealing which details are fact versus fictional. It's quite a work of genius.
I can't say enough about this book, but it has truly grasped me back into the world of reading classics, which I am beyond grateful for.
October 19, 2024
Gay gay homosexual gay
December 31, 2012
This is a play that misfires. I dislike seeing it in performance and I dislike the printed version even more. The play attempts to marry Wildean epigrams, Victorian melodrama and a modern expressly sexual revisitation. The original book succeeds as an elegant and disturbing reflection on age, death and desire. It does this though the elegance of the language and the use of inference and oblique reference. The play attempts to make everything express and put everything on the surface. This allied to the device of a Greek style chorus makes for a very different and much less enjoyable experience.
October 27, 2023
I've got very mixed feelings about this book. It did a great job at rephrasing old hedonist ideas in a very metaphorical and artsy way. But in many cases, especially with Lord Henry (god this guy is so abnoxious), it's too fancy so instead of being impressed by his cynical intelligence (or what is it), I just rolled my eyes at how "pick me" he acted. I can excuse the misogyny but this? Nah. It's cool how he "infected" Dorian with his pseudo philosophy though. This one was cool. Next, Dorian Grey. It was curious to observe his "fall" since his rapprochement with Lord Henry but the second half of the book he acts so ridiculously childish. Now, the murder of Basil. Oscar Wilde just didn't want to develop the character of Alan Campbell which would explain Dorian's success at his manipulation so he just invented this super mysterious note that somehow made him help Grey out. Also, the murder itself is so out of nowhere. Up until that point Dorian had no regrets for this portrait trick. It was kinda happy that he could remain so young and gorgeous - it was his whole philosophy. But then all of a sudden he is furious with Basil blaming him for how bad of a person he became. The rest of the book he's so miserable and quick at putting the responsibility for his evils on other people: murder of Basil - a minute of insanity (as if that's an excuse?), suicide of Alan Campbell - Alan's own buisness, all other lives of people he messed up - they have their own decision making. Dude, your beauty doesn't make you an awful person. It's your own bloody choice - isn't that how you justify your ex-friends' downfalls? Idk it was just such a quick radical change of heart that it became too implausible. These are the crappy moments. What I liked is the character of Basil (his obsession with Dorian, his chaotic naivety and righteousness) and just the morale of the book. It was really comprehensive and very neatly delivered. The finale, although a bit shrunken for my personal taste, seemed like an appropriate resolution. The exact amount of drama the Picture of Dorian Grey deserved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2020
The core story is expertly delivered, entangled in a deeply psychological chorus performance that really helps the emotional development of the play (though I'm not sure the changes of character adds much outside the context of the original production?).
The dialogue is more naturalistic than other attempts (don't even bother with the 'adaptation' by Merlin and Holland ) It's reconstructed from Wilde's other texts, but is not precious about the 'famous lines', and nothing feels forced.
I feel like it 'gets' the psychology of the story best, but it's also as good a straight adaptation of the plot (if not better?) as John Osborne's version.
Probably the best stage adaptation of Dorian Gray in print?
The dialogue is more naturalistic than other attempts (don't even bother with the 'adaptation' by Merlin and Holland ) It's reconstructed from Wilde's other texts, but is not precious about the 'famous lines', and nothing feels forced.
I feel like it 'gets' the psychology of the story best, but it's also as good a straight adaptation of the plot (if not better?) as John Osborne's version.
Probably the best stage adaptation of Dorian Gray in print?
September 10, 2025
Like all writing of the time, sometimes the description piece gets a little carried away for me but I did really enjoy this read. Concept of the story is really interesting and how Dorian evolves over time is definitely a commentary on human nature as a whole (and defying it). I will say I was confused about parts of the book being removed for supposed homoeroticism? I didn't really get that but I guess it was the 1800s so
December 8, 2025
A very interesting take on Oscar Wiles Play. Love this story about youth and how if you don’t expect what you are, it takes hold of you and hunts you. I was engage though out and loved how the play ends.
May 26, 2017
3.5 Decent adaptation with some genuinely gripping moments, but not a patch on the original.
August 18, 2022
I didn’t understand it , probs just bc I don’t understand classics
January 14, 2023
really boring…had to drag myself through it
February 11, 2023
4.7/5- Absolutely gorgeous.
February 28, 2024
l’ho letto per la scuola e l’ho odiato
May 5, 2025
I finally got around to finishing this book!! It was very good and very thought provoking!
June 23, 2025
The language is a bit too flowery for my taste, so found myself skimming over parts, but still an enjoyable read!
December 20, 2025
It is a good book, just not my cup of tea
Read
July 27, 2016The plot is interesting and filled with a number of interesting twists and turns that would catch some modern filmmakers off guard. The witticisms of Lord Henry Wotton really epitomize the aristocracy of the time and provide a nice relief from the organic and beautiful imagery that Wilde infuses into every sentence.
All in all, The Picture of Dorian Gray just flowed very nicely and it only took me two days because it was captivating throughout its entirety (well, aside from one chapter (XI) that digressed into Dorian's love of a book, but that doesn't really matter).
Some of the points are also very valid and the novel was very ahead of its time in its no-holds-barred content.
Thank you for your contribution to literature, Mr. Wilde.
All in all, The Picture of Dorian Gray just flowed very nicely and it only took me two days because it was captivating throughout its entirety (well, aside from one chapter (XI) that digressed into Dorian's love of a book, but that doesn't really matter).
Some of the points are also very valid and the novel was very ahead of its time in its no-holds-barred content.
Thank you for your contribution to literature, Mr. Wilde.
December 31, 2022
Another of Wilde's plays that is deservedly famous, this one is a cautionary tale that manages to avoid being too moralistic. It's disturbing to consider what life might be like never having to face the consequences of one's actions, but also reminds us that truly is impossible. This short play is one that everyone should read just to stir up their thoughts, IMO.
March 15, 2014
An engrossing story that plays on everyone's vanity. Would love to have read what extremes Dorian went to and influenced others in.
January 14, 2023
my favorite book ever.
December 17, 2023
Another classic. Also a necessary read to me at late teens (which was about 20 years ago). Will definitely read again in life. A formative experience for the youth.
December 18, 2024
I didn't read this specific copy. This story is underrated/overshadowed by other gothic horror novels.
June 24, 2025
They were gay af idc
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews