Selected Poems of Oscar Wilde including the Ballad of Reading Gaol

by Oscar Wilde

This collection of literature attempts to compile many of the classic works that have stood the test of time and offer them at a reduced, affordable price, in an attractive volume so that everyone can enjoy them.

Genres: Poetry, Classics

56 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2017

About the author

Oscar 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.

Reviews

[Sarah AlObaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oscar Wilde is a phenomenal poet and I. Want. More.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ballad of Reading Gaol was clearly the standout piece of the collection. Can't say that poetry often brings a tear to my eye, but Wilde managed it.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

5/5 for The Ballad of Reading Gaol. I think I'll be revisiting this often.

The rest of the poems just weren't really for me.

[nisanur · Rating 4 out of 5]

full sesli okudugum ilk ing siir kitabiydi. kafiyelerine bayildim

[Jyoti · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this book first time I came across Oscar Wilde's poetry. And I just loved it. It is so fresh, remarkable and soothing. I loved "Rose and Rue" and "The Ballad" the most.

"I remember I never could catch you,
For no one could match you,
You had wonderful, luminous, fleet,
Little wings to your feet."

And other one.....

"But strange that I was not told
That the brain can hold
In a tiny ivory cell
God's heaven and hell."

[Emily D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the dark poems the best, as they reminded me of Poe's poems, and though many of Wilde's poetry is beautifully written, I got lost a little in the overwhelming lyrical nature descriptions and mythological references.

[Amira Zaidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the first time I heard the name Oscar Wilde in one of my literature classes 6 years ago, somehow the name resonated in my ears, and I swiftly felt that I am going to be forming a connection with such a unique name. Oscar Wilde is one of my favorite authors in the realm of literature, and oh my oh I must confess that The Ballad of Reading Gaol is my favorite poem since I stepped into the magical sphere of poetry. I cannot seem to remember how many times I read the poem, and how many times I found myself uttering verses unconsciously in multiple random places and times.

[Mira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Niet echt mijn soort poezie, maar wel erg goed geschreven

[Ireland Russell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Longest 70 pages of my life. Old poetry is definitely not my thing. I will say I got some out of a few of the poems, but it was so difficult. Glad to say I did it and it’s over.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

oscar wilde is a brilliant playwright, but his poetry is only okay. there were a select few that i really enjoyed, but the rest were somewhat dry.. this is a nice book to read if you have some spare time--i brought it with me as i was traveling around scandinavia. pleasant read, but nothing spectacular.

[Merinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure if I selected the right selection - I read the Gutenberg one. The ballad of Reading Gaol I already knew, so this rating is just for the other poems. I have to say I wasn't very fond of this selection, although I like Wilde a lot.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Some pieces were better than others but overall, they were all fairly enjoyable. Having already read and loved The Ballad of Reading Goal, my favorite piece from this collection was the final one, "Flower Of Love".

[rada ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite poems were definitely the sonnets and love poems, although I feel like if I met Oscar Wilde in real life I would want to fight him to the death. But I have to admit that he can kind of write his ass off; something about the decadent language and imagery is just 🤌