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Wildeana
Oscar Wilde's early fame ensured that throughout his short life he was written about by many of those he met. He was celebrated - or mocked - as the master of the ingenious epigram, the provocative paradox, the witty aside or the extravagant conceit.
In researching his monumental biography of Wilde Matthew Sturgis found, in every major archive, sheets of foolscap in Wilde's distinctive handwriting, setting down a series of unfamiliar epigrams - unpublished try-outs. There were fascinating new discoveries.
He uncovered dozens of unfamiliar and previously ungathered anecdotes about Wilde: sidelights on his days in Oxford, London, America and Paris and beyond, by society hostesses, men-about-town, actors, lawyers, minor litterateurs, artists and politicians, diligently setting down his actions, his mannerisms and above all his sayings.
The items in this volume are all small additions to the Wilde story: some unfamiliar, others unexpected, they enrich and alter the picture of his life.
In researching his monumental biography of Wilde Matthew Sturgis found, in every major archive, sheets of foolscap in Wilde's distinctive handwriting, setting down a series of unfamiliar epigrams - unpublished try-outs. There were fascinating new discoveries.
He uncovered dozens of unfamiliar and previously ungathered anecdotes about Wilde: sidelights on his days in Oxford, London, America and Paris and beyond, by society hostesses, men-about-town, actors, lawyers, minor litterateurs, artists and politicians, diligently setting down his actions, his mannerisms and above all his sayings.
The items in this volume are all small additions to the Wilde story: some unfamiliar, others unexpected, they enrich and alter the picture of his life.
- GenresNonfiction
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2020
6 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Oscar Wilde
5,719 books39.3k 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 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 2, 2021
As observações do Oscar Wilde são brilhantes e foi muito bom saber mais sobre ele do ponto de vista de outras pessoas.
August 9, 2022
oscar wilde you will always be famous
December 9, 2023
Una chicca per chi apprezza Oscar Wilde.
“Wildeana” è raccolta di frammenti, epigrammi, annotazioni e brevi racconti che ci permettono di percepire l’autore come se fosse ancora in vita, ci fanno sentire come se fossimo in sua presenza durante la lettura, e ci fanno vivere momenti della sua esistenza fino alla sua conclusione da una prospettiva più “intima”.
Voci di autori, di editori, giovani donne; un coro di figure che hanno incontrato Wilde lungo il loro cammino e ci hanno lasciato piccole, preziose testimonianze. E poi barzellette, aneddoti, canti: uniti ai frammenti, le lettere e le note dello stesso autore ci fanno scoprire altri “dietro le quinte” di una personalità “assurda e deliziosa” come quella di Oscar Wilde.
La filosofia e la penna di questo autore non smetteranno mai di affascinarmi; tuttavia, non posso far a meno di continuare a storcere il naso davanti a quelli che sono i tratti più misogini (e spesso anche classisti) del suo pensiero, che spesso vengono a galla nelle sue opere e non mancano di fare un’apparizione anche in questa puntata. Rimane una pecca figlia del suo tempo e della sua società, che certo non mi farà apprezzare di meno l’autore in quanto tale, ma davanti alla quale non posso comunque rimanere indifferente. È uno dei molteplici tratti che contribuiscono a rendere Wilde una figura così complessa e ambigua, e forse proprio per questo così intrigante.
Ad ogni modo, consiglio tantissimo la lettura a chi è amante del genere, si legge tutto d’un fiato data la brevità di ogni documento ed il contenuto numero di pagine. Può essere sicuramente un interessante approfondimento e spunto di ricerca.
“Wildeana” è raccolta di frammenti, epigrammi, annotazioni e brevi racconti che ci permettono di percepire l’autore come se fosse ancora in vita, ci fanno sentire come se fossimo in sua presenza durante la lettura, e ci fanno vivere momenti della sua esistenza fino alla sua conclusione da una prospettiva più “intima”.
Voci di autori, di editori, giovani donne; un coro di figure che hanno incontrato Wilde lungo il loro cammino e ci hanno lasciato piccole, preziose testimonianze. E poi barzellette, aneddoti, canti: uniti ai frammenti, le lettere e le note dello stesso autore ci fanno scoprire altri “dietro le quinte” di una personalità “assurda e deliziosa” come quella di Oscar Wilde.
La filosofia e la penna di questo autore non smetteranno mai di affascinarmi; tuttavia, non posso far a meno di continuare a storcere il naso davanti a quelli che sono i tratti più misogini (e spesso anche classisti) del suo pensiero, che spesso vengono a galla nelle sue opere e non mancano di fare un’apparizione anche in questa puntata. Rimane una pecca figlia del suo tempo e della sua società, che certo non mi farà apprezzare di meno l’autore in quanto tale, ma davanti alla quale non posso comunque rimanere indifferente. È uno dei molteplici tratti che contribuiscono a rendere Wilde una figura così complessa e ambigua, e forse proprio per questo così intrigante.
Ad ogni modo, consiglio tantissimo la lettura a chi è amante del genere, si legge tutto d’un fiato data la brevità di ogni documento ed il contenuto numero di pagine. Può essere sicuramente un interessante approfondimento e spunto di ricerca.
September 17, 2023
This is a rather niche book for obvious reasons, but if you're interested in O.W. as a person, this is an excellent read.
Yes, aside from the introduction given by the author where he explains how/why he stumbled upon all the quotes, anecdotes, and extracts collected in the book there is a Grand Total of Zero context for anything, but personally I enjoyed that. I took time to research the people who spoke of and to Wilde, if I was curious. I do also own O.W.'s biography written by Sturgis which probably made the research aspect easier, but yup, I enjoyed it a lot.
This is a fast read as it's basically just quotes, but taking it slow gives you time to absorb and process what you've read, so I did just that.
Basically excellent read if you want to spend some time just perceiving Oscar Wilde.
The entry about his funeral genuinely made me shed a tear, so just to give you a taste:
"When, on entering, we three women took our seta at the back of the chapel, I was surprised to find it practically empty. A few men were scattered about. There were then no other women. Even after the coffin was brought in, followed by Robert Ross, Reginald Turner, and Lord Alfred Douglas, and a few men whom I did not know, the chapel still looked empty."
[...]
"It was tragic to realize that this man, a poet of parts, once a brilliant figure in Paris as well as London, the dandy of dandies, this lover of the beautiful, this amateur of luxury, so few years ago known to all the great men in the world of letters and fêted even by those who did not love him, had fallen so low that only these few cared or dared to do him honor, and speed him on his last adventure."
Yes, aside from the introduction given by the author where he explains how/why he stumbled upon all the quotes, anecdotes, and extracts collected in the book there is a Grand Total of Zero context for anything, but personally I enjoyed that. I took time to research the people who spoke of and to Wilde, if I was curious. I do also own O.W.'s biography written by Sturgis which probably made the research aspect easier, but yup, I enjoyed it a lot.
This is a fast read as it's basically just quotes, but taking it slow gives you time to absorb and process what you've read, so I did just that.
Basically excellent read if you want to spend some time just perceiving Oscar Wilde.
The entry about his funeral genuinely made me shed a tear, so just to give you a taste:
"When, on entering, we three women took our seta at the back of the chapel, I was surprised to find it practically empty. A few men were scattered about. There were then no other women. Even after the coffin was brought in, followed by Robert Ross, Reginald Turner, and Lord Alfred Douglas, and a few men whom I did not know, the chapel still looked empty."
[...]
"It was tragic to realize that this man, a poet of parts, once a brilliant figure in Paris as well as London, the dandy of dandies, this lover of the beautiful, this amateur of luxury, so few years ago known to all the great men in the world of letters and fêted even by those who did not love him, had fallen so low that only these few cared or dared to do him honor, and speed him on his last adventure."
January 13, 2022
Jest to zdecydowanie ciekawy zbiór, ale trochę brakło na niego pomysłu i organizacji. Z jednej strony pojawiają się krótkie zapiski Oscara Wilde'a, znajdziemy też mnóstwo anegdot i liścików innych ludzi do Oscara Wilde'a lub jego listów do innych.
Brak w tym jakiegoś widocznego podziału lub więcej słów wyjaśnień.
Mimo to z zainteresowaniem czytałam ten zbiór, spojrzenia innych ludzi na postać Wilde'a były zdecydowanie czymś nowym i ta książka potwierdza tezę autora wstępu, że Wilde'a znali wszyscy.
Brak w tym jakiegoś widocznego podziału lub więcej słów wyjaśnień.
Mimo to z zainteresowaniem czytałam ten zbiór, spojrzenia innych ludzi na postać Wilde'a były zdecydowanie czymś nowym i ta książka potwierdza tezę autora wstępu, że Wilde'a znali wszyscy.
May 30, 2023
This is a good collection of writings by and about Wilde. If one wants to get an impression of his character, his qualities and his views, I'd definitely recommend this book. However, sometimes it would have been useful if more context were given regarding several texts/letters etc..
3,5 out of 5 stars, read it if you already love Oscar Wilde and a bit of extravagancy.
3,5 out of 5 stars, read it if you already love Oscar Wilde and a bit of extravagancy.
January 1, 2026
this was rather anticlimactic. majority of the content isn’t even written by oscar so like… cheers for nothing en? The fragments actually written by Oscar were brilliant, except for the Little Nugget. I beg they pardon Mr Wilde what in the racist propaganda is that
April 19, 2021
This book just solidified my adoration and respect for Oscar Wilde.
April 14, 2023
perceiving oscar wilde
July 30, 2024
A dull collection of peripheral tidbits from associates of Wilde. Neither interesting or, enlightening… an odd assemblage of material.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews