Oscar Wilde

by Frank Harris, George Bernard Shaw

Explores the life and career of the Victorian author, from his school days through his conviction and prison term in Reading Gaol

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, LGBT, Literature, Audiobook

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1912

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Frank Harris was an editor, journalist and publisher, who was friendly with many well-known figures of his day. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to America early in life, working in a variety of unskilled jobs before attending the University of Kansas to read law. He eventually became a citizen there. After graduation he quickly tired of his legal career and returned to Europe in 1882.

He travelled on continental Europe before settling in London to pursue a career in journalism. Though 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.

Reviews

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me first qualify this review by saying that I am a huge Oscar Wilde fan (I not only own a copy, but have read cover to cover, his compiled works, my favorite novel is A Picture of Dorian Grey, and I own an Oscar Wile action figure...) Really it was only a matter of time before I began reading his biographies (the one I have on the shelf next is Richard Ellmann's Oscar Wilde...

I really found myself enjoying Frank Harris's biography of him. I think that Oscar himself would have been rather pleased with this book for the most part (at least the 2/3 that are his life before imprisonment and spiral into despair.) Frank was one of his dear friends in life and gives a first hand account of life with Oscar. Oscar admired Frank so much that he dedicated my favorite of his plays, An Ideal Husband, to him. This book shows not so much the flesh and blood Wilde as it does the brilliant, larger than life masterpiece Wilde presented of himself to the world. The true fascination of Wilde is this ability to be such a charming contradiction of all the norms of society.

I found myself seeing a lot of the facts of his imprisonment and life after in a slightly different, and oddly more favorable light. I thought that Oscar was in a much more miserable and destitute situation than Frank portrays and am very fond of his friends and admirers who helped him all the way to the end.

A biography of Wilde's life really reads quite a bit like a novel (and even more shockingly almost parallels his one novel- A Picture of Dorian Grey.) I loved all the quirky and witty quotes from dinner conversations and if I could go back in time and meet ANYONE I would want it to be him. This book only further deepened that conviction instead of dragging me away from it.

[Rebekah · Rating 2 out of 5]

When embarking on this read I thought it would be a great insight into Oscar Wilde in a way that a biography can’t. What I discovered was a man who knew Wilde intimately but couldn’t really grasp him, who clearly felt let down by Wilde and his relationship with Boise, and his refusal to work once out of prison. Not only that but Wilde fleeced Harris in a way that left him financially out of pocket in addition to being a laughingstock around London. His break from Oscar came towards the end of his life in the very late 1800’s. Fed up of paying for Wilde’s lifestyle, together with others who had effectively been his ‘patrons’ in the true sense, Harris has to break his ties although not completely.

I had hoped to find a man far more realistic, a man who had let people down and knew it. Harris’ strange dialogue prose is annoying, making Wilde so completely two dimensional that he was a real life Harold Skimpole. And if Harris is to be believed he really was, taking money from all and sundry. Harris tried to get Wilde out of prison, desperately trying to get him to fly to Calais before his criminal trial knowing that no one would attempt to force the return of such a, using that time’s morality, disgusting creature to spend two years in prison. Harris pushes at doors to get Wilde his books and writing materials back, to get him released early but I could find no true apology for his troubles. Even for a book that isn’t full of real conversation between the two the lack is glaring. This book only made me feel that Oscar Wilde was Janus, deciding from a young age that he wanted to be some kind of literary marvel, which in some ways he was, whilst wholly incapable of being respectful of his friend’s point of view.

I am glad Wilde now gets the recognition he deserved back then but this memoir does no justice to the man or the author.

[Morticia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written, it is quite a pageturner. But it known for being inaccurate and selfserving, it is almost as much about Harris as it is about Wilde. Harris reproduces lies and rumors about Wilde and it's hard to even trust the conversations he claims to have had with Wilde. But it gives an insight in Wilde as he would have appeared to another Englishman at the time.
His portrait of Wilde is full of contradictions, but at the same time it is a very intimate portrait. And though it doesn't portrait Oscar Wilde the way som admirers would like to remember him, it could still be accurate.
The book is a must read, but to understand Oscar Wilde one has to read at least one more biography.

[Ully · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I understand, this biography is not a source to be trusted. However, I enjoyed it a lot. My favorite part was in the note by Harris on a previous version of the biography which stated that he believed Harris had "affectionately underrated his [Wilde's] snobbery." Overall, it was good and filled with the fin de siecle drama that only one who lived during it could truly capture.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly thinly sketched biography wrapped around a memoir of the author's friendship with Wilde, concentrating especially on his trials, imprisonment and decline. Its great strength is the way it brings Wilde to life in remembered conversations, capturing the flavour of his conversation, which Harris and apparently Wilde considered to be Wilde's greatest art. It is also very frank, for the time of publication, about Wilde's private life, though Harris's open-mindedness is offset by some rather tedious passages in which he tries to persuade Oscar to go straight.

Harris has a reputation as an unreliable narrator of his own life, but I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. The more I read, the more I began to feel pangs of scepticism. At times, Harris represents himself as the hero of Wilde's life, trying desperately but in vain to save his weak-willed friend from folly, excess and indolence.

I had only a very basic understanding of Wilde's life before reading this. Despite my occasional scepticism I feel I now know a lot more about it. Yet I still feel the need for verification by a more trusted source: the Richard Ellmann biography seems to be the 'standard'. So I recommend this book not so much as a reliable account of the life, but as a probably good record of what it was like to know and talk to Wilde.

[Annette Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was written about 1910, and contains some rather arcane phrases, as well as delicate and discreet language regarding Wilde's proclivities. I enjoyed Harris' descriptions of Wilde, and he quotes a number of conversations at great length. I wish there had been more in it about Mrs .Wilde and his other friends, but...also, he never admits Wilde's "viciousness" (code for unorthodox sexuality). Also, his description of Wilde's death is rather shrouded-he never alludes to the possibility it may have been due to complications from syphilis. It is obvious he cared a great deal about Wilde and was pained that his writing career ended so soon. Also, it's not "overwritten" in that you can finish it in a few days. First hand account of a fascinating literary icon.

[Joan Sebastián Araujo Arenas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conseguí esta obra y la biografía de Villena sobre el mismo hombre (Wilde) en la misma librería, una al lado de la otra.

El libro de Harris, aún hoy me sorprende, era mucho más barato que el de Villena, supongo que porque era una edición más vieja. Por eso leí la biografía que escribió el autor español antes de acercarme a la que hizo un amigo cercano del propio biografiado, y que fue una de las primeras aproximaciones a su vida.

Las páginas que dedicó Harris a Wilde van desde describir...

El resto de la reseña se encuentra en mi blog: https://jsaaopinionpersonal.wordpress...

[Othniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An early biography of Wilde, and one written by a close friend, albeit one who (while no angel himself) disapproved of his lifestyle, this is a compelling read.

Focussing on the manner in which Wilde built his reputation, and the circumstances under which he helped self-destruct, this is a heartfelt and merciless portrait, pointing out the great man's flaws as well as those qualities which made him excellent company.

The court case involving Lord Alfred Douglas and his unpleasant father is examined in great detail; less well-trodden ground is the period following his release from prison, and his sad decline.

A cautionary tale, told with style and sympathy.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot of discussion among Wilde's contemporaries regarding the accuracy of this work when it was first published, particularly by Lord Alfred Douglas and George Bernard Shaw. Both Douglas and Shaw initially respond with overall praise for the work, but would both go back on this in the future. Douglas praised this work in a letter that is included in the introduction but wrote a more scathing account in his own biography, (though he would eventually go on to criticize his own work and suggest future revisions after taking back some of the ideas he set forth) and then partially retracted his anger, though not his refute, in a later letter to Shaw.

I think this opens up an interesting discussion into the validity of this work (and the biography of Wilde by Shaw), as their works are mainly based on personal recollections, which opens up the door for bias (which is ever present in this work). The two men notably disagreed on their recollection of a meeting they had with Wilde and Douglas just prior to the trials, and the differing accounts shift the narrative, making it difficult to discern the truth from these portrayals.

[覚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Oscar Wilde's alive I would hate him; but he is dead, and now everything can be forgiven.

"'...No, he does not understand me. He cannot understand me any more. But I keep on telling him that in every letter. We cannot follow the same road. He has his and it is beautiful-I have mine. His is that of Alcibiades; mine is now that of St. Francis of Assisi.'"

"Let me now make amends. When to the sessions of sad memory I summon up the spirits of those whom I have met in the world and loved, men famous and men of unfulfilled renown, I miss no one as much as I miss Oscar Wilde. I would rather spend an evening with him than with Renan or Carlyle or Verlaine or Dick Burton or Davidson. I would rather have him back now than almost anyone I have ever met. I have known more heroic souls and some deeper souls; souls much more keenly alive to ideas of duty and generosity; but I have know no more charming, no more quickening, no more delightful spirit."

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

According to this book, Oscar Wilde was:

Lazy
Vain
Pompous
Egotistical
Bitter
Whiny
Self-centered
Weak-willed
Gluttonous
Misogynistic
Materialistic
Spoiled
and
A spendthrift.

So it probably isn't too difficult to understand why I wound up disliking him immensely. But I didn't really read this book to like Oscar Wilde; I read it to learn more about him and what influenced his writings, and I did. The fact that he wasn't a great person doesn't change the fact that he wrote beautiful and good things. Plus, I really liked this Frank Harris person; I was far more interested in him than in his subject matter. Two thumbs up.

[Brian Gowthorpe · Rating 3 out of 5]

An impassioned biography by a friend but written as a journalist; according to Wikipedia, a difficult and unsettled man, so it is hard to be sure how accurate it is. There is an awful lot of dialogue between the two men and did FH really remember it so faithfully? It seems as though the tone, rhythm and style of Oscar's shtick is captured as well as his appalling neediness in relation to money. The decline after his second betrayal by the dreadful Bosie is awful. Robbie Ross was pretty much a saint. The great theme is how a bigoted and narrow middle class brought him down because of his so-called perversion but a lot of it was to do with his consorting with 'common' rent boys.

[AdamatheGreat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This read was an elegantly crafted biography. Frank Harris captures the life of Oscar Wilde from his youth until his death with great emphasis on the important events that influenced Wilde to be what he was. I wouldn’t say Wilde was a life of waste for his poetry, plays, talks, and works have made an impact in the world of literature. This is by far one of my favorite biographies, it can be seen that Harris created this book with authenticity, emotion, and honesty. Oscar Wilde is definitely an individual I find amusing. Totally worth the read.

[Aria · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing style is the biggest problem here. It's unengaging & somewhat unclear. I'm not going to be able to learn from anything presented in the way that this material is presented. I'm somewhat familiar with Wilde's story already, so I feel no need to press on with this. Dnf p. 25.

[Lora Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Chris Schaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

[Natasha Rivas · Rating 3 out of 5]

es excelente porque es un registro íntimo, si bien no le creo la veracidad de algunos detalles a Harris

[Me Greenleaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. One of the best and funniest books I have read in a long time

[Caro · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last chapter where Frank Harris was talking about his friend, Oscar Wilde, was beautiful and moving.

The rest of the book, although very interesting in parts, I found a little wordy. Listened to this book on audio and found myself daydreaming quite a lot, which could be why I found it a struggle or maybe I kept drifting, because it did not suit me?

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teil 1
In diesem Teil wird die Geschichte Wildes bis zu seinem Prozess erzählt. Ich habe erst Anfang des Jahres die Biografie von Richard Ellmann gelesen und habe die beiden Biografien natürlich miteinander verglichen. Wo Richard Ellmann viel Wert auf Details gelegt hat, hat Frank Harris mehr Wert auf den Menschen Oscar Wilde gelegt. Er hat ihn persönlich gekannt und so wirkt seine Beschreibung lebendig und warmherzig. Auch oder gerade dann, wenn er Oscar Wilde in nicht so schönen Worten beschreibt (so nennt er ihn mehrmals aufgedunsen und beschreibt seine Kleidung als zu eng), so sind es die Worte eines Freundes, der nicht versteht, wie man sich so gehen lassen kann.

Mich hat überrascht, dass Harris an Wildes Unschuld geglaubt hat. So gut, wie er ihn zu kennen glaubte, kannte er ihn doch nicht. Das zeigt, dass die beiden nicht so gut befreundet waren, wie er dachte. Im zweiten Teil macht Wilde auch eine Bemerkung, die meine Annahme bestätigt. Aber auch wenn Wilde nicht so ein guter Freund war, Harris war es sicher. Er hat bis zum Schluss versucht, Wilde vor dem Gefängnis zu bewahren und konnte nicht verstehen, dass er sich seinem Schicksal so ergeben hat.

Teil 2
Dieser Teil erzählt die Zeit im Gefängnis und die Zeit danach. Im Gegensatz zum ersten Teil kam mir diese Erzählung weniger geordnet vor. Gerade, was die letzten Jahre Wildes betrifft und die Reisen, die die beiden Männer unternommen haben. Frank Harris hat mir zu viel von sich und weniger von Oscar Wilde erzählt. Trotzdem konnte er mir ein gutes Bild Wildes vermitteln. Aber mir ist auch wieder aufgefallen, wie sehr sich die Erzählungen Harris' und Ellmanns ähneln, allerdings erzählt Harris' Biografie viel mehr vom Menschen Oscar Wilde. Ich bin froh, dass ich beide gelesen habe, aber gebe der von Frank Harris eindeutig den Vorzug.

[Liedzeit Liedzeit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harris schrieb die Biographie, heißt es, weil er das Geld brauchte. Und sie sei nicht sehr akkurat. Sicherlich hat Harris nicht viel Zeit mit Recherche verschwendet. Ausführlich berichtet er von seinen Gesprächen, wobei Oscar immer wieder ein “Frank” in seine Repliken einbaut. Schon etwas nervtötend, besonders am Anfang. Auch die Gespräche über das “Laster” sind so ergiebig nicht. Oscar wollte wohl Harris davon überzeugen, dass Homosexualität die natürliche Haltung eines Ästheten sei, während Harris sie mit Kannibalismus vergleicht, der schließlich auch aus Vorurteil abgelehnt werde. Insgesamt aber flüssig geschrieben, und offenbar hat ihn mit dem trägen Wilde echte Freundschaft verbunden, obwohl sie sehr verschieden waren. The Ballad of ReadingGaol hält er für die beste Ballade in englischer Sprache.
Interessant auch die nachträgliche Betrachtung Shaws (die Harris einfügt aus Eitelkeit?). Der sagt:
“Ich bin überzeugt, daß die Himmelstore vor Oscar Wilde nicht verschlossen worden sind; denn er ist ein zu guter Gefährte um ausgesperrt zu werden. Aber mit den Worten 'Du guter und getreuer Knecht' wird er kaum begrüßt worden sein.” 7/10

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oscar Wilde was the epitome of the artist whose greatest work was his life. Wilde could never quite capture on paper the wit and wisdom that charmed so many of the pretty people in Victorian England. This engrossing biography, written by legendary playboy Frank Harris, is a first-hand account, as Wilde and Harris were close friends. Harris tries to understand Wilde's homosexuality, and paints a sympathetic picture of a man he clearly idolized.

[Renee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't I finish the book. I don't know if it is the author's writing, his own naïveté, or oscars's none too impressive character, but I just had to stop reading. I find Wilde very weak willed and not extremely talented. I want to like him for his supposed genius and for his being an early hero of gay rights, but I just cant. Beyond "a Portait of Dorian Grey" I've found his writing hard to like.

[Keith Foster · Rating 2 out of 5]

kind of different because the author was Oscar's straight peg friend and can give a first hand account of some stuff. I really painfully felt the fact that it wasn't the Ellmann biography though (please someone do an audio book).

[Natalie Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Daniela Albarrán · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un acercamiento a la vida de Oscar Wilde según uno de sus amigos más allegados, vale la pena leerlo si ya conoces la obra de Wilde.

[Gisele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great bio. Trite by true. Wilde was way before his time. All the rest are just imitators.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-told tale of a tragic life.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved the work that Oscar Wilde wrote. Although this was the first volume of the life of Oscar Wilde, it was remarkably written. I so look forward to reading the second volume!!!

[Jack Bootjesus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The highs and very lows of the man who's life became the template for 20th century celebrity.