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The Model Millionaire
The generosity of man is revealed when a poor man gives his last coin to a beggar, only to learn that the beggar is in fact a rich baron in disguise.
Victorian author Oscar Wilde is known both as a playwright and prose author. Among his most famous works are The Picture of Dorian Gray, his only novel, the plays An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest, and the short story collections Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories and The Happy Prince and Other Stories.
HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.
Victorian author Oscar Wilde is known both as a playwright and prose author. Among his most famous works are The Picture of Dorian Gray, his only novel, the plays An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest, and the short story collections Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories and The Happy Prince and Other Stories.
HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.
25 pages, ebook
Published November 18, 2014
11 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Oscar Wilde
5,516 books38.9k followersOscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and his criminal conviction for gross indecency for homosexual acts.
Wilde's parents were Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. In his youth, Wilde learned to speak fluent French and German. At university, he read Greats; he demonstrated himself to be an exceptional classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the emerging philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
Wilde tried his hand at various literary activities: he wrote a play, published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on "The English Renaissance" in art and interior decoration, and then returned to London where he lectured on his American travels and wrote reviews for various periodicals. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into what would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). Wilde returned to drama, writing Salome (1891) in French while in Paris, but it was refused a licence for England due to an absolute prohibition on the portrayal of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Undiscouraged, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London.
At the height of his fame and success, while An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) were still being performed in London, Wilde issued a civil writ against John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel hearings unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and criminal prosecution for gross indecency with other males. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and so a retrial was ordered. In the second trial Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in abridged form in 1905), a long letter that discusses his spiritual journey through his trials and is a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On the day of his release, he caught the overnight steamer to France, never to return to Britain or Ireland. In France and Italy, he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life.
Wilde's parents were Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. In his youth, Wilde learned to speak fluent French and German. At university, he read Greats; he demonstrated himself to be an exceptional classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the emerging philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
Wilde tried his hand at various literary activities: he wrote a play, published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on "The English Renaissance" in art and interior decoration, and then returned to London where he lectured on his American travels and wrote reviews for various periodicals. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into what would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). Wilde returned to drama, writing Salome (1891) in French while in Paris, but it was refused a licence for England due to an absolute prohibition on the portrayal of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Undiscouraged, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London.
At the height of his fame and success, while An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) were still being performed in London, Wilde issued a civil writ against John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel hearings unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and criminal prosecution for gross indecency with other males. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and so a retrial was ordered. In the second trial Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in abridged form in 1905), a long letter that discusses his spiritual journey through his trials and is a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On the day of his release, he caught the overnight steamer to France, never to return to Britain or Ireland. In France and Italy, he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
September 5, 2024
‘Alan,’ said Hughie seriously, ‘you painters are a heartless lot.’
‘An artist’s heart is his head,’ replied Trevor; ‘and besides, our business is to realise the world as we see it, not to reform it as we know it. À chacun son métier. And now tell me how Laura is. The old model was quite interested in her.’
Se este conto fosse um ditado português seria:«Faz o bem sem olhar a quem.», ou seja, quem pratica boas acções sem esperar algo em troca, o bem que faz eventualmente retornará como recompensa.
As personagens, agradáveis e bem intencionadas, ganharam a minha empatia;um conto ambientado numa sociedade que valoriza as aparências exteriores narrado com humor e boas surpresas. Hughie, jovem com excelente aparência mas sem dinheiro, lamenta o maltrapilho que serve de modelo a Alan, um pintor.
"Poor old fellow,’ he thought to himself, ‘he wants it more than I do, but it means no hansoms for a fortnight’; and he walked across the studio and slipped the sovereign into the beggar’s hand."
Surpresa! O «Poor old fellow» era o Baron Hausberg, o cavalheiro mais rico da Europa, e Hughie necessitava de £10,000 para casar com Laura.
Outra surpresa! "When they were married Alan Trevor was the best man, and the Baron made a speech at the wedding breakfast."
‘Millionaire models,’ remarked Alan, ‘are rare enough; but, by Jove, model millionaires are rarer still!
Well done, Mr. Wilde!
The importance of being generous.
‘An artist’s heart is his head,’ replied Trevor; ‘and besides, our business is to realise the world as we see it, not to reform it as we know it. À chacun son métier. And now tell me how Laura is. The old model was quite interested in her.’
Se este conto fosse um ditado português seria:«Faz o bem sem olhar a quem.», ou seja, quem pratica boas acções sem esperar algo em troca, o bem que faz eventualmente retornará como recompensa.
As personagens, agradáveis e bem intencionadas, ganharam a minha empatia;um conto ambientado numa sociedade que valoriza as aparências exteriores narrado com humor e boas surpresas. Hughie, jovem com excelente aparência mas sem dinheiro, lamenta o maltrapilho que serve de modelo a Alan, um pintor.
"Poor old fellow,’ he thought to himself, ‘he wants it more than I do, but it means no hansoms for a fortnight’; and he walked across the studio and slipped the sovereign into the beggar’s hand."
Surpresa! O «Poor old fellow» era o Baron Hausberg, o cavalheiro mais rico da Europa, e Hughie necessitava de £10,000 para casar com Laura.
Outra surpresa! "When they were married Alan Trevor was the best man, and the Baron made a speech at the wedding breakfast."
‘Millionaire models,’ remarked Alan, ‘are rare enough; but, by Jove, model millionaires are rarer still!
Well done, Mr. Wilde!
The importance of being generous.
May 8, 2022
A little kindness can indeed go a long way. But where is my $10,000?? I've been exceptionally kind. 🤔
November 30, 2022
¡Ay Wilde, amo todo lo relacionado a ti!
No estoy pasando por una buena situación en mi vida ahora y este cuento me hizo reír y recordar porque amo leer, y porque amo tanto las obras de Oscar Wilde.
Desde sus libros, obras, cuentos, todo, este hombre es mi autor clásico favorito.
Solo voy a terminar con que, este cuento es estupendo, ya de su primera frase: "A menos que se sea rico, no sirve de nada ser una persona encantadora", supe que iba a encantarme.
Cuando lo terminé me pregunté: ¿otras 5 estrellas? y me respondí: "por supuesto, es de Oscar Wilde.
No estoy pasando por una buena situación en mi vida ahora y este cuento me hizo reír y recordar porque amo leer, y porque amo tanto las obras de Oscar Wilde.
Desde sus libros, obras, cuentos, todo, este hombre es mi autor clásico favorito.
Solo voy a terminar con que, este cuento es estupendo, ya de su primera frase: "A menos que se sea rico, no sirve de nada ser una persona encantadora", supe que iba a encantarme.
Cuando lo terminé me pregunté: ¿otras 5 estrellas? y me respondí: "por supuesto, es de Oscar Wilde.
December 3, 2025
ive definitely heard of the concept of this story before, but didn’t know oscar wilde wrote it! i won’t spoil it, but it’s really interesting.
this also kind of gives a reflection of what society was like when this was written, which is very interesting.
4/5⭐️
this also kind of gives a reflection of what society was like when this was written, which is very interesting.
4/5⭐️
June 23, 2023
Je met 5 étoiles en particulier pour la nouvelle "Le jeune roi" que jai beaucoup aimé et qui reste très actuelle malgré les évolutions des sociétés et de leur fonctionnement et les différences qui se sont créés entre nos deux époques.
![Profile Image for Saranya ⋆☕︎ ˖ [hibernating].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1768229531i%2F187457635._UX200_CR0%2C5%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
May 25, 2025
Through this story, Wilde suggests that generosity and compassion are the most consequential traits a person can have.
★★★★★
★★★★★
March 2, 2025
2.5 ⭐️
1. Unless you are wealthy, there is no sense in being an enchanting person.
2. Romance is the privilege of the rich, not the profession of the unemployed.
3. The poor should be practical. It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.
Una historia muy corta de cómo el ser bueno y amable a veces te recompensa.
Aunque creo que también tira más por la crítica social del rico y de no poder hacer nada si eres pobre.
También está el punto de cómo el rico no da dinero a un necesitado, y es el pobre quien ayuda.
1. Unless you are wealthy, there is no sense in being an enchanting person.
2. Romance is the privilege of the rich, not the profession of the unemployed.
3. The poor should be practical. It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.
Una historia muy corta de cómo el ser bueno y amable a veces te recompensa.
Aunque creo que también tira más por la crítica social del rico y de no poder hacer nada si eres pobre.
También está el punto de cómo el rico no da dinero a un necesitado, y es el pobre quien ayuda.
October 5, 2025
GREAT SOCIAL MESSAGE
October 20, 2025
3.5/5⭐️
December 22, 2024
Het eerste proza van Oscar Wilde dat ik heb gelezen. Vier verhalen met uiteraard heel wat Britse aristocratie en de nodige titulaturen. Ik had niet anders verwacht, maar soms draaft Wilde wel erg door met komaf zonder dat dit iets toevoegt aan het verhaal.
Van de vier verhalen sprong "De misdaad van Lord Arthur Savile" er voor mij het meeste uit. Deze lord krijgt van een handlezer een gruwelijk vooruitzicht te horen en probeert de toekomst voor te zijn, waarin hij iedere keer hopeloos faalt.
De twee grote verhalen zijn verrassend kolderiek.
Hoewel de stijl soms wat omslachtig is, trok hij mij als lezer makkelijk in de sfeer van het verhaal.
Van de vier verhalen sprong "De misdaad van Lord Arthur Savile" er voor mij het meeste uit. Deze lord krijgt van een handlezer een gruwelijk vooruitzicht te horen en probeert de toekomst voor te zijn, waarin hij iedere keer hopeloos faalt.
De twee grote verhalen zijn verrassend kolderiek.
Hoewel de stijl soms wat omslachtig is, trok hij mij als lezer makkelijk in de sfeer van het verhaal.
March 14, 2025
Wilde's children's stories are so good . The simple and imaginative writing lets the reader to visualise the story and characters.
June 14, 2018
UNLESS one is wealthy there is no use in being a charming fellow. Romance is the privilege of the rich, not the profession of the umemployed. The poor should be practical and prosaic.
This is Wilde at his best. You gotta love this man for the tricks he plays on your mind with his philosophical, often paradoxal, quotes.
This story is merely a few pages long but I was quite intense. His masterful prose, combined with silly cynical remarks on social injustice, is simply astonishing.
A first theme in this story is materialism.
He was as popular with men as he was with women, and he had every accomplishment except that of making money.
This phrase emphasises the idea of our materialistic society brilliantly. Note a certain form of self-mockery here, being brilliant on every aspect, except in making money is in essence the story of Mr. Wilde his life.
A second theme which is omnipresent throughout Wildes work is Altruism. Generosity and Kindness always pay off in the end. This is the message we, as reader, have to take home.
It's a simple story, full of wisdom, definitely worth a read.
August 23, 2024
"O ile się nie jest zamożnym, nie warto być czarującym chłopcem."
Tak, "ubodzy powinni być praktyczni i prozaiczni" - taka jest "wielka prawda nowoczesnego życia", pisze autor na samym wstępie swego opowiadania, choć robi to bez wątpienia z przekąsem i z dużą dozą ironii wobec tych "wielkich prawd". Bohaterem jego opowiadania jest Hughie Erskine - piękny, acz ubogi chłopiec, który owych prawd nie mógł pojąć (zapewne podobnie, jak sam Wilde). Cóż, bohater nie grzeszył zanadto inteligencją, skoro nie błysnął nigdy żadnym dowcipem czy aforyzmem. To akurat zupełnie inaczej, niż sam autor: dandys, znany z ciętych ripost, więc nadprzeciętnie inteligentny i bogaty z domu. A jednak widać w tekście dość oczywistą sympatię Wilde'a do swego bohatera, mimo, iż ten okazuje się aż zabawnie naiwny. Też dandys, ale naiwny, bo dobry. W bajkach (i w życiu) właśnie ubodzy prostaczkowie są jedynymi sprawiedliwymi.
Cała recenzja nas stronie:
https://nakanapie.pl/recenzje/milione...
Tak, "ubodzy powinni być praktyczni i prozaiczni" - taka jest "wielka prawda nowoczesnego życia", pisze autor na samym wstępie swego opowiadania, choć robi to bez wątpienia z przekąsem i z dużą dozą ironii wobec tych "wielkich prawd". Bohaterem jego opowiadania jest Hughie Erskine - piękny, acz ubogi chłopiec, który owych prawd nie mógł pojąć (zapewne podobnie, jak sam Wilde). Cóż, bohater nie grzeszył zanadto inteligencją, skoro nie błysnął nigdy żadnym dowcipem czy aforyzmem. To akurat zupełnie inaczej, niż sam autor: dandys, znany z ciętych ripost, więc nadprzeciętnie inteligentny i bogaty z domu. A jednak widać w tekście dość oczywistą sympatię Wilde'a do swego bohatera, mimo, iż ten okazuje się aż zabawnie naiwny. Też dandys, ale naiwny, bo dobry. W bajkach (i w życiu) właśnie ubodzy prostaczkowie są jedynymi sprawiedliwymi.
Cała recenzja nas stronie:
https://nakanapie.pl/recenzje/milione...
September 17, 2022
"I wouldn't paint him in a frock coat for anything. What you call rags I call romance. What seems poverty to you is picturesqueness to me."
A beautiful short story about how kindness can change lives.
Amazing writing with an important message.
It's wonderful how Oscar Wilde wrote this little story and deliver a powerful and beautiful message in the same time. I started this not knowing anything about it (like always). If you can go into knowing nothing.
A beautiful short story about how kindness can change lives.
Amazing writing with an important message.
It's wonderful how Oscar Wilde wrote this little story and deliver a powerful and beautiful message in the same time. I started this not knowing anything about it (like always). If you can go into knowing nothing.
July 1, 2023
W tym króciutkim opowiadaniu głównym bohaterem jest Hughie Erskine. Zakochany jest on Laurze Merton, ale ojciec dziewczyny nie zgadza się na zaręczyny tej pary, z powodu jego statusu majątkowego.
Bardzo przyjemna historyjka, z lekko ukrytym morałem.
Bardzo przyjemna historyjka, z lekko ukrytym morałem.
May 2, 2021
How kindness changes lives.
March 13, 2022
Amusing with a nice twist.
December 18, 2023
3.5
This feels like the 19th century equivalent of famous people posing as store workers in a poor attempt to pose as the working class
This feels like the 19th century equivalent of famous people posing as store workers in a poor attempt to pose as the working class
September 20, 2025
Nuestro protagonista se llama Hughie un joven de clase media que, a pesar de su escasez económica, dona su última moneda a un mendigo que estaba posando para un cuadro en el estudio de su amigo pintor. Sin saber que este hecho le cambiará la vida.
El giro del libro fue bastante divertido, pero el final se sintió muy apresurado y me dejó deseando más. Fue un poco frustrante llegar a la última página del cuento.
El giro del libro fue bastante divertido, pero el final se sintió muy apresurado y me dejó deseando más. Fue un poco frustrante llegar a la última página del cuento.
June 14, 2025
“An artist’s art is his head, and besides, our business is to realize the world as we see it, not to reform it as we know it.” This man doesn’t disappoint.
You can have faith on Oscar Wilde’s capability to masterfully tell a story expressing the importance of generosity, compassion, morals and spirit in poetic writing only within 5-6 pages.
You can have faith on Oscar Wilde’s capability to masterfully tell a story expressing the importance of generosity, compassion, morals and spirit in poetic writing only within 5-6 pages.
Read
November 6, 20254 pages long, this feels like cheating. Another corker tho.
November 16, 2025
god i wish that were me
July 2, 2025
who doesn’t love a short story that clearly originated from its titular pun
August 17, 2017
Hughie is in love & wants to marry. His current situation is such that he is not his girlfriend's father's choice for his daughter's husband. Hughie goes to visit his painter friend who happens to be in the middle of a painting. The model for the portrait, a lowly beggar man, looks as though he could use Hughie's one coin more than he needs it, so he gives it to him, everything he has. The beggar man is actually not a beggar at all. He is a very wealthy baron who is dressed as a beggar for the painting. Hughie's generosity touches him to the core, & he ends up writing Hughie a check for 10,000 pounds in order to make him worthy of his girlfriend's hand in marriage.
Who doesn't love a short, sweet story about something good in the world?! I enjoy all kinds of stories, even dark & sad ones, but every once in a while you need to sprinkle a light-hearted, feel-good story in the mix. There were several things that made me love Hughie: his compassion for the poor, his desire to put others before himself, his desire to find a solution to his problem instead of giving up (his girlfriend's dad not deeming him worthy of his daughter's hand in marriage), his devotion to his one true love. Not only is Hughie someone to be modeled, but the wealthy baron showed us that money is only money, & that it's best to give it away when it can serve a better purpose elsewhere. We also learned that goodness can & should be rewarded whenever possible.
Age recommendation: all ages
On a scale of 1-10 stars, I give it 10!
Who doesn't love a short, sweet story about something good in the world?! I enjoy all kinds of stories, even dark & sad ones, but every once in a while you need to sprinkle a light-hearted, feel-good story in the mix. There were several things that made me love Hughie: his compassion for the poor, his desire to put others before himself, his desire to find a solution to his problem instead of giving up (his girlfriend's dad not deeming him worthy of his daughter's hand in marriage), his devotion to his one true love. Not only is Hughie someone to be modeled, but the wealthy baron showed us that money is only money, & that it's best to give it away when it can serve a better purpose elsewhere. We also learned that goodness can & should be rewarded whenever possible.
Age recommendation: all ages
On a scale of 1-10 stars, I give it 10!
September 17, 2023
This became my favorite of all the Oscar Wilde's short stories that I've read so far.
I've said it before and I'll say it again but this man in a genius! He can say so much with a short story of very few pages and I'm always surprised by his writing.
This story talks about so many topics of society that are still relevant today. It's about an artist who is making a portrait of a poor man, "the model millionaire", and i loved so many quotes about poverty and wealth, about art and about the profession of an artist.
Some of my favorite quotes (even thought i read this in portuguese I'm choosing to include these in Wilde's original writing):
" 𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 "
" 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅. "
" ‘𝑷𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑! 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑯𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒊𝒆, ‘𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔! 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆, 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒆.’
‘𝑪𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒍𝒚,’ 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒓, ‘𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒂 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒈𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚, 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖?’ "
" ‘𝑨𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕’𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅,’ 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒓; ‘𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔, 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒊𝒕, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒕. "
Please do yourself a favor and read this. I cannot recommend it enough.
I've said it before and I'll say it again but this man in a genius! He can say so much with a short story of very few pages and I'm always surprised by his writing.
This story talks about so many topics of society that are still relevant today. It's about an artist who is making a portrait of a poor man, "the model millionaire", and i loved so many quotes about poverty and wealth, about art and about the profession of an artist.
Some of my favorite quotes (even thought i read this in portuguese I'm choosing to include these in Wilde's original writing):
" 𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 "
" 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅. "
" ‘𝑷𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑! 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑯𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒊𝒆, ‘𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔! 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆, 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒆.’
‘𝑪𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒍𝒚,’ 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒓, ‘𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒂 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒈𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚, 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖?’ "
" ‘𝑨𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕’𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅,’ 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒐𝒓; ‘𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔, 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒊𝒕, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒕. "
Please do yourself a favor and read this. I cannot recommend it enough.
July 21, 2025
This is my first book from Oscar Wild and i am surprised cause i didn’t expected his writing style to be that way. Reading this book felt more like contemplating a painting than anything else. His writing style distinct itself by it’s flowery and descriptive nature. Contrary to what one might think, while he attaches a lot of importance to aesthetics, his work doesn’t lack substance at all.
By the way my favorite short stories from this collection would be The Young King and The Model Millionaire for they’re the most insightful and thought provoking. Even tho it took me some time to finally start it ( thanks procrastination ) it ended up being a great piece of work i didn’t lose my time at all and should have started it earlier.
By the way my favorite short stories from this collection would be The Young King and The Model Millionaire for they’re the most insightful and thought provoking. Even tho it took me some time to finally start it ( thanks procrastination ) it ended up being a great piece of work i didn’t lose my time at all and should have started it earlier.
February 5, 2015
This is Wilde at his witty, perceptive and socially responsible best. The story is, of course, well known, but this is the first time I've encountered it. A great moral tale, illustrating the fable of the widow's mite, and written with great charm and intelligence. I thoroughly enjoyed this short story.
May 30, 2017
Un relato corto de parte de Oscar Wilde.
Una historia de un barón que se difraza de mendigo para una pintura.
Un millonario que hace lo posible para que obtuvo dinero por pena le devuelve el favor.
Citas: http://hechaensilencio.blogspot.com.a...
Una historia de un barón que se difraza de mendigo para una pintura.
Un millonario que hace lo posible para que obtuvo dinero por pena le devuelve el favor.
Citas: http://hechaensilencio.blogspot.com.a...
April 3, 2018
A pleasant, lightly humorous story of an accidental good deed rewarded.
August 2, 2018
Witty, quick and quite enjoyable. Worth the read.
"Romance is the privilege of the rich, not the profession of the unemployed."
Oscar Wilde being Oscar Wilde.
"Romance is the privilege of the rich, not the profession of the unemployed."
Oscar Wilde being Oscar Wilde.
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