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Oskara Vailda testaments
Pīters Akroids (Peter Ackroyd) ir dzimis 1949. gadā, mācījies Kembridžā un Jeilā, bijis redaktors un grāmatu apskatnieks, izdevis četrus dzejoļu krājumus, vairākus romānus, T. S. Eliota, Čārlza Dikensa un Viljama Bleika biogrāfiju, par savu daiļradi saņēmis vairākas balvas, tai skaitā Somerseta Moema balvu par romānu Oskara Vailda testaments.
Oskara Vailda dzīve bija neparasti spilgta un krāsaina, taču mūža pēdējos gadus Parīzē viņš pavadīja vientulībā un nabadzībā. Šajā spoži uzrakstītajā romānā, kurā iztēle saujaucas ar realitāti. Vailds ļaujas atmiņām un pārdomām par savu bērnību, rakstnieka slavu, homoseksuāļa problēmām. Autors atspoguļo ērkšķaino ceļu, ko gājis viens no valdzinošākajiem pasaules literatūras pārstāvjiem, parāda viņa slavas virsotnes un traģēdiju, ļauj ieraudzīt viņa personību un laikmetu.
"Pīters Akroids ne tikai meistarīgi rīkojas ar valodu un ticami ataino Vailda asprātību epigrammās un paradoksos, bet arī precīzi parāda to, cik neaizsargāts un vientuļš šis cilvēks bijis aiz savas maskas. Pilnīgi satriecoši."
The Times
"Neparasts intelektuāls sasniegums, dziļi izjusta cilvēciskā traģēdija.
Literary Review
"Šādas grāmatas pārbaudes akmens ir jautājums, vai Oskars pats būtu varējis to uzrakstīt, un atbilde ir - jā."
Financial Times
Oskara Vailda dzīve bija neparasti spilgta un krāsaina, taču mūža pēdējos gadus Parīzē viņš pavadīja vientulībā un nabadzībā. Šajā spoži uzrakstītajā romānā, kurā iztēle saujaucas ar realitāti. Vailds ļaujas atmiņām un pārdomām par savu bērnību, rakstnieka slavu, homoseksuāļa problēmām. Autors atspoguļo ērkšķaino ceļu, ko gājis viens no valdzinošākajiem pasaules literatūras pārstāvjiem, parāda viņa slavas virsotnes un traģēdiju, ļauj ieraudzīt viņa personību un laikmetu.
"Pīters Akroids ne tikai meistarīgi rīkojas ar valodu un ticami ataino Vailda asprātību epigrammās un paradoksos, bet arī precīzi parāda to, cik neaizsargāts un vientuļš šis cilvēks bijis aiz savas maskas. Pilnīgi satriecoši."
The Times
"Neparasts intelektuāls sasniegums, dziļi izjusta cilvēciskā traģēdija.
Literary Review
"Šādas grāmatas pārbaudes akmens ir jautājums, vai Oskars pats būtu varējis to uzrakstīt, un atbilde ir - jā."
Financial Times
294 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
21 people are currently reading
744 people want to read
About the author
Peter Ackroyd
182 books1,486 followersPeter Ackroyd CBE is an English novelist and biographer with a particular interest in the history and culture of London.
Peter Ackroyd's mother worked in the personnel department of an engineering firm, his father having left the family home when Ackroyd was a baby. He was reading newspapers by the age of 5 and, at 9, wrote a play about Guy Fawkes. Reputedly, he first realized he was gay at the age of 7.
Ackroyd was educated at St. Benedict's, Ealing and at Clare College, Cambridge, from which he graduated with a double first in English. In 1972, he was a Mellon Fellow at Yale University in the United States. The result of this fellowship was Ackroyd's Notes for a New Culture, written when he was only 22 and eventually published in 1976. The title, a playful echo of T. S. Eliot's Notes Towards the Definition of Culture (1948), was an early indication of Ackroyd's penchant for creatively exploring and reexamining the works of other London-based writers.
Ackroyd's literary career began with poetry, including such works as London Lickpenny (1973) and The Diversions of Purley (1987). He later moved into fiction and has become an acclaimed author, winning the 1998 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for the biography Thomas More and being shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1987.
Ackroyd worked at The Spectator magazine between 1973 and 1977 and became joint managing editor in 1978. In 1982 he published The Great Fire of London, his first novel. This novel deals with one of Ackroyd's great heroes, Charles Dickens, and is a reworking of Little Dorrit. The novel set the stage for the long sequence of novels Ackroyd has produced since, all of which deal in some way with the complex interaction of time and space, and what Ackroyd calls "the spirit of place". It is also the first in a sequence of novels of London, through which he traces the changing, but curiously consistent nature of the city. Often this theme is explored through the city's artists, and especially its writers.
Ackroyd has always shown a great interest in the city of London, and one of his best known works, London: The Biography, is an extensive and thorough discussion of London through the ages.
His fascination with London literary and artistic figures is also displayed in the sequence of biographies he has produced of Ezra Pound (1980), T. S. Eliot (1984), Charles Dickens (1990), William Blake (1995), Thomas More (1998), Chaucer (2004), William Shakespeare (2005), and J. M. W. Turner. The city itself stands astride all these works, as it does in the fiction.
From 2003 to 2005, Ackroyd wrote a six-book non-fiction series (Voyages Through Time), intended for readers as young as eight. This was his first work for children. The critically acclaimed series is an extensive narrative of key periods in world history.
Early in his career, Ackroyd was nominated a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1984 and, as well as producing fiction, biography and other literary works, is also a regular radio and television broadcaster and book critic.
In the New Year's honours list of 2003, Ackroyd was awarded the CBE.
Peter Ackroyd's mother worked in the personnel department of an engineering firm, his father having left the family home when Ackroyd was a baby. He was reading newspapers by the age of 5 and, at 9, wrote a play about Guy Fawkes. Reputedly, he first realized he was gay at the age of 7.
Ackroyd was educated at St. Benedict's, Ealing and at Clare College, Cambridge, from which he graduated with a double first in English. In 1972, he was a Mellon Fellow at Yale University in the United States. The result of this fellowship was Ackroyd's Notes for a New Culture, written when he was only 22 and eventually published in 1976. The title, a playful echo of T. S. Eliot's Notes Towards the Definition of Culture (1948), was an early indication of Ackroyd's penchant for creatively exploring and reexamining the works of other London-based writers.
Ackroyd's literary career began with poetry, including such works as London Lickpenny (1973) and The Diversions of Purley (1987). He later moved into fiction and has become an acclaimed author, winning the 1998 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for the biography Thomas More and being shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1987.
Ackroyd worked at The Spectator magazine between 1973 and 1977 and became joint managing editor in 1978. In 1982 he published The Great Fire of London, his first novel. This novel deals with one of Ackroyd's great heroes, Charles Dickens, and is a reworking of Little Dorrit. The novel set the stage for the long sequence of novels Ackroyd has produced since, all of which deal in some way with the complex interaction of time and space, and what Ackroyd calls "the spirit of place". It is also the first in a sequence of novels of London, through which he traces the changing, but curiously consistent nature of the city. Often this theme is explored through the city's artists, and especially its writers.
Ackroyd has always shown a great interest in the city of London, and one of his best known works, London: The Biography, is an extensive and thorough discussion of London through the ages.
His fascination with London literary and artistic figures is also displayed in the sequence of biographies he has produced of Ezra Pound (1980), T. S. Eliot (1984), Charles Dickens (1990), William Blake (1995), Thomas More (1998), Chaucer (2004), William Shakespeare (2005), and J. M. W. Turner. The city itself stands astride all these works, as it does in the fiction.
From 2003 to 2005, Ackroyd wrote a six-book non-fiction series (Voyages Through Time), intended for readers as young as eight. This was his first work for children. The critically acclaimed series is an extensive narrative of key periods in world history.
Early in his career, Ackroyd was nominated a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1984 and, as well as producing fiction, biography and other literary works, is also a regular radio and television broadcaster and book critic.
In the New Year's honours list of 2003, Ackroyd was awarded the CBE.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
October 19, 2020
Oscar - prenume predestinat - *magnific și înfricoșător în același timp. Definiția eroului tragic și a nechibzuinței continue: chiar și când cunoaște blestemul, se îndreaptă spre el de bunăvoie și în lumina reflectoarelor. Un estet care nu a iubit numai femeile, dar le-a înțeles, le-a venerat și a intuit că ele domină societatea prin iscusinta subtilă a sexului lor (slab). O personalitate care a devenit problematică pentru contemporani, un scriitor cu o operă = obiectul nedumeririi generale, o carte la persoana întâi, scrisă parcă de însuși Oscar Wilde. Îl voi mai citi pe Peter Ackroyd, frumoasă scriitură și stil.
January 16, 2016
This is the first fictional work by Ackroyd that I read, and I enjoyed it as much as when I read it the first time.
Ackroyd captures the voice of Wilde quite well, and presents an "autobiography" that Wilde writes during his last months. What is most interesting is that while Bosie is dealt with, the most touching relationship is between Wilde and his wife.
Ackroyd captures the voice of Wilde quite well, and presents an "autobiography" that Wilde writes during his last months. What is most interesting is that while Bosie is dealt with, the most touching relationship is between Wilde and his wife.
October 20, 2021
Erudiție, densitate, patetism, autocompătimire. Creativitatea, mână-n mână cu comportamentul autodistructiv. Una o alimentează pe cealaltă. Autodistrugerea creativă. Actul creator ce mistuie personalitatea până la autoanihilare.
Nimic măreț (artistic) nu se construiește izvorând din fericire.
Incontestabile suferințele (excluziunii) care l-au încercat pe prigonitul scriitor irlandez, dar Wilde cel din cartea lui Ackroyd este și un umoral, un efeminat hipersensibil, greu de simpatizat, plus unele accese de megalomanie. Bineînțeles că, precum mulți alți scriitori din vremea lui (și de azi), nu-și prea iubea, nici prea aprecia, colegii contemporani de breaslă.
Cartea e scrisă sub formă de jurnal, însă conține mai degrabă falsele memorii ale lui Oscar Wilde.
Nimic măreț (artistic) nu se construiește izvorând din fericire.
Incontestabile suferințele (excluziunii) care l-au încercat pe prigonitul scriitor irlandez, dar Wilde cel din cartea lui Ackroyd este și un umoral, un efeminat hipersensibil, greu de simpatizat, plus unele accese de megalomanie. Bineînțeles că, precum mulți alți scriitori din vremea lui (și de azi), nu-și prea iubea, nici prea aprecia, colegii contemporani de breaslă.
Cartea e scrisă sub formă de jurnal, însă conține mai degrabă falsele memorii ale lui Oscar Wilde.
October 19, 2021
Viņš redzēja vienīgi skaistumu. "Bez skaistuma pasaulē nav nekā, skaistais ir vērtīgāks par labo.". Ļoti daiļa grāmata, kas sniedz realitātes un ilūzijas savienojumu aizraujošā romānā par pēdējiem mēnešiem Vailda dzīvē. Būtībā grāmatā valodas meistari ir trīs - Oskars Vailds, Pīters Akroids un tulkotāja Silvija Brice. Grāmata noslēpums, grāmata traģēdijas anatomija, grāmata atmiņas par skaisto.
July 6, 2020
Ε λοιπόν δεν είναι τυχαία η φήμη του Peter Ackroyd ως ταλαντούχου βιογράφου σπουδαίων Λονδρέζων καλλιτεχνών αλλά και βιογράφου της ίδιας της βρετανικής πρωτεύουσας. Στο συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο ενδύεται εξαιρετικά επιτυχημένα την προσωπικότητα του Oscar Wilde τους τελευταίους μήνες της ζωής του στο Παρίσι του 1900. Άπορος, άρρωστος, εγκατελειμμένος από τους φίλους του, περίγελως, αποφασίζει να καθίσει στην καρέκλα του φτηνιάρικου παριζιάνικου δωματίου του στο ξενοδοχείο Αλσατία, να αναπολήσει τα του βίου του και να τα καταγράψει σε ένα ημερολόγιο με σκοπό να κατανοήσει επιτέλους πώς έφτασε εκεί πού έφτασε και ποιος φταίει γι' αυτό. Σίγουρα προϊόν εμπεριστατωμένης έρευνας αλλά και υψηλής συναισθηματικής νοημοσύνης, η μυθιστορηματική αυτή βιογραφία, πέρα από την αναγνωστική απόλαυση, συμβάλλει κατά πολύ - όπως ισχύει στην περίπτωσή μου - στην βαθύτερη κατανόηση του μείζονος έργου του Wilde, του Πορτραίτου του Ντόριαν Γκρέυ.
July 23, 2024
I finally got around to reading this book and what a fantastic achievement it is. Ackroyd's idea is an obvious and brilliant one - how would 'Sebastian Melmoth', following his release from Reading Gaol and enforced exile in Paris, have reflected upon his journey from celebrated literary genius to vilified outcast. Sadly, Wilde himself never put pen to paper in order to summarise his life,apart from 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol', but Peter Ackroyd brilliantly creates Wilde's 'journal' and the result is uncannily 'Wildean' in wit and tone, as well as being remarkably accurate in the depiction of late 19th century social history and culture.
His depiction of a wide range of supporting players in Wilde's tragic story, from Bosie to Frank Miles, Sarah Bernhardt to Constance Wilde, is thoroughly convincing.
Highly recommended.
His depiction of a wide range of supporting players in Wilde's tragic story, from Bosie to Frank Miles, Sarah Bernhardt to Constance Wilde, is thoroughly convincing.
Highly recommended.
November 22, 2011
A journal is being written by a lonely man in a Paris hotel room. It starts, for its sins, on 9 August 1900. There was nothing auspicious about the date, no connection to former grandeur or glory. But there has been a chance encounter, on a rare excursion outdoors, with three young Englishmen. They recognise the journal’s author, one Oscar Wilde, and they refer to him as “she”. It is an event worth recording, an event that prompts recollection and reflection on a life.
Oscar Wilde’s life was lived in public. Through exploration, then success and fame, and finally via notoriety and disgrace the author occupied a public mind. His talent was immense, his desire to exploit it almost single-minded and his success phenomenal. In an era when stardom in the modern sense was being invented, Oscar Wilde played the stage, published, courted society and self-promoted. He pushed at boundaries, sometimes not for reasons of art, but merely because they existed. He was, after all, an outsider, an Irishman of questionable parentage, but dressed elegantly in a frock coat and mingling with the highest.
He thus became a star for a while, a centre of attention, a media figure. This was nothing less than celebrity in the modern sense, except, of course, that in his case there actually was some talent and ability in the equation. He was famous primarily for what he did, not for whom he became. But then there was a change. The fame was rendered infamy by publicity he could no longer control. And that downfall killed him. A final journal entry on 30 November 1900, recorded from the author’s mumblings by a friend, Maurice Gilbert, records the event. Oscar Wilde had fallen while in prison, and had sustained an injury to an ear, an injury that festered.
Early on in his recollections, Oscar Wilde recalls George Bernard Shaw saying that, “An Englishman will do whatever in the name of principle.” Wilde’s qualification was that the principle was inevitably self-interest. It is a beautiful metaphor, because as a talented – even gifted – young Irish writer, Wilde was promoted and enjoyed success while ever he bolstered others’ positions. The moment he sought an assertion of his own right, however, he was disowned. Celebrity can thus rub shoulders with the rich and powerful, but only on their terms.
And it was their terms that eventually killed him. The sybaritic Bosie encountered, the desire for things Greek aroused, Wilde found himself drawn into a society he could not resist. But he remained a self-confessed voyeur, and never became a participant. He thus remained forever the outsider, on the periphery of even his own vices. But he was eventually pilloried for what he became in the public eye to stand for. It remained only a state to which he aspired, if, that is, we believe him.
The Last Testament Of Oscar Wilde thus hops repeatedly across the boundary that separates a public and a private life. Eventually the two distinct existences become blurred. Because one is always trying to be the other, with neither predominating. Peter Ackroyd’s book is a masterpiece with much to say about thoroughly modern concepts such as populism, celebrity, fame and identity.
Oscar Wilde’s life was lived in public. Through exploration, then success and fame, and finally via notoriety and disgrace the author occupied a public mind. His talent was immense, his desire to exploit it almost single-minded and his success phenomenal. In an era when stardom in the modern sense was being invented, Oscar Wilde played the stage, published, courted society and self-promoted. He pushed at boundaries, sometimes not for reasons of art, but merely because they existed. He was, after all, an outsider, an Irishman of questionable parentage, but dressed elegantly in a frock coat and mingling with the highest.
He thus became a star for a while, a centre of attention, a media figure. This was nothing less than celebrity in the modern sense, except, of course, that in his case there actually was some talent and ability in the equation. He was famous primarily for what he did, not for whom he became. But then there was a change. The fame was rendered infamy by publicity he could no longer control. And that downfall killed him. A final journal entry on 30 November 1900, recorded from the author’s mumblings by a friend, Maurice Gilbert, records the event. Oscar Wilde had fallen while in prison, and had sustained an injury to an ear, an injury that festered.
Early on in his recollections, Oscar Wilde recalls George Bernard Shaw saying that, “An Englishman will do whatever in the name of principle.” Wilde’s qualification was that the principle was inevitably self-interest. It is a beautiful metaphor, because as a talented – even gifted – young Irish writer, Wilde was promoted and enjoyed success while ever he bolstered others’ positions. The moment he sought an assertion of his own right, however, he was disowned. Celebrity can thus rub shoulders with the rich and powerful, but only on their terms.
And it was their terms that eventually killed him. The sybaritic Bosie encountered, the desire for things Greek aroused, Wilde found himself drawn into a society he could not resist. But he remained a self-confessed voyeur, and never became a participant. He thus remained forever the outsider, on the periphery of even his own vices. But he was eventually pilloried for what he became in the public eye to stand for. It remained only a state to which he aspired, if, that is, we believe him.
The Last Testament Of Oscar Wilde thus hops repeatedly across the boundary that separates a public and a private life. Eventually the two distinct existences become blurred. Because one is always trying to be the other, with neither predominating. Peter Ackroyd’s book is a masterpiece with much to say about thoroughly modern concepts such as populism, celebrity, fame and identity.
May 22, 2010
[These notes were made in 1988:]. A fascinating little book. I devoured it all in one sitting. Mr. Ackroyd, writing as if he were Oscar Wilde, recalling his life, is not only a remarkable mimic, but seems to possess a generous share of psychological insight as well. His Oscar is, I fear, a little wiser and more sober on his deathbed than the original perhaps was. But if there is to be a fault, I'm glad it's on the sympathetic side. I cannot praise the style too much - Ackroyd has caught both Wilde's self-important tone and his gift for the delightful and unexpected simile. And the epigrams: is this Ackroyd or Oscar? "The young never understand youth in others: that is their tragedy. The old do, always: that is theirs." Ackroyd deals with Wilde's literary work with familiarity and Oscar's own unshakeable certitude of his own genius. About Wilde's personal life he is speculative - making up many incidents which may or may not have happened - without being sensationalistic. One catches oneself starting to believe Wilde actually wrote this, and treating it as a document, not a piece of fiction. It's a strange sensation.
May 1, 2025
Qué manera de sufrir con este libro. Es una recreación por parte de Ackroyd de los últimos días de Wilde en París, un soliloquio del recuerdo y de las penas a las cuales se vio enfrentado luego del escándalo y juicio en Londres. Ackroyd conoce muy bien los datos biográficos (la universidad, la relación con madre, su esposa Constance y sus hijos, además del entramado con Bosie) y se atreve incluso a escribir poemas en prosa a la manera de Wilde, que no desentonan para nada en este verdadero Gólgota que fueron los ultimos años (que están representados en la película de Ruper Everett: The happy prince de 2018 y que recomiendo muchísimo).
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April 22, 2022This is a by now familiar story of Oscar Wilde, his rise to fame, his lectures, his poems, his novel, his plays, his libel charge against the Marquess of Queensbury, his conviction for his homosexuality, his time in prison and his long decline and exile and death in Paris, France. Peter Ackroyd captures Oscar's voice perfectly here in the last year of Wilde's life and shows that his real failing laid not in his sexual tastes - that much was only natural - but in his longing for fame and riches for which he paid terribly. It is a beautifully tragic story, told well, and I would suggest it to anyone interested.
January 13, 2013
How painful and sad to walk in the footsteps of Oscar Wilde in his last days. Oh, that clever man.
Peter Ackroyd at his finest for me. A must read for Oscar Wilde fans.
Peter Ackroyd at his finest for me. A must read for Oscar Wilde fans.
December 28, 2023
Despite purposeful yet obstructive intervals of references made to a legion of persons, events and artistic creations, Ackroyd imbues his biographic autobiography with touching sentiment and a steady emotional coherency. Educational in its steadfast reflection of Wilde's life, the story, nonetheless, dwells fleetingly on vapid encounters and raw anecdote to allow the reader's pathos, lit through our modern understanding of gay men's predicament of the time, to emerge. If we are denied a full embrace of vibrant humour and nostalgic whimsy also characteristic of the age, it is because, perhaps, Wilde maintained such a distance from love itself: that received from rare friends rather than fickle audiences and that he might have held for himself.
August 20, 2017
Stunning book! So clever, well written and well researched! Peter Ackroyd managed to brilliantly capture Oscar Wilde's voice! A great tribute to him, I think he would find it interesting to see his life literally become art!
February 27, 2020
reading this book is an intense experience. I felt like all the words were written by Oscar Wilde, even if I knew that many events are only invented by Ackroyd.
I've always been very curious about the figure of Oscar Wilde, so this diary was a beautiful discovery to me.
It was hard reading the part of the process and the incarceration of Oscar Wilde and then was deeply touching knowing about the relationship between Oscar, his family and Bosie.
Strongly recommended! 🌹
I've always been very curious about the figure of Oscar Wilde, so this diary was a beautiful discovery to me.
It was hard reading the part of the process and the incarceration of Oscar Wilde and then was deeply touching knowing about the relationship between Oscar, his family and Bosie.
Strongly recommended! 🌹
October 25, 2024
Ma olen suur ilukirjanduslike elulugude fänn, eriti, kui need on kirjanikest või muudest loovisikutest. Kuna ma olin just lugenud Oscar Wilde’i põhjalikku elulugu Barbara Belfordi sulest, siis oli tore lugeda sama lugu ilukirjanduslikus võtmes. Minu meelest on Peter Ackroyd väga hästi tabanud Oscar Wilde’i stiili minajutustajana. Ilmselt ei pea selle raamatu lugemiseks olema tuttav Oscar Wilde’i elulooga, kuid kindlasti tulevad taustateadmised kasuks ja aitavad raamatut paremini mõista.
Tõlkija Krista Kaera saatesõnast:
1982. aastal ilmus Peter Ackroydi esimene romaan “Londoni suur tulekahju”. 1983. aastal järgnes sellele “Oscar Wilde’i viimane testament”, mis võitis Somerset Maughami auhinna. Ackroydi enda sõnade kohaselt kujutas see teema endast omamoodi väljakutset. Tihti on väidetud, et Wilde’i on küll võimalik parodeerida, kuid pole võimalik teha järele tema stiili ega saavutada tema lauserütmi. Ackroyd on öelnud, et selle raamatu kirjutamisel aitas teda palju omaaegne õppimine katoliiklikus koolis. Pooled tema sealsed kaaslased olid iirlased ja tal tekkis üsna hea ettekujutus iiri kõnepruugist ja iiri meelelaadist. Loomulikult eelnes raamatu kirjutamisele ka kuudepikkune töö kõigega, mida Wilde oli kirjutanud ning lisaks tuli läbi lugeda ka teosed, mida Wilde oli või võis olla lugenud. Tulemuseks oli raamat, mille stiil ja väljenduslaad on Wilde’i stiiliga äravahetamiseni sarnane, selle päeviku oleks võinud tõesti Wilde ise kirjutada. Sellegipoolest on tegemist ilukirjandusega, mitte biograafiaga ning sellelt ei maksa oodata täielikku faktitruudust.
Tõlkija Krista Kaera saatesõnast:
1982. aastal ilmus Peter Ackroydi esimene romaan “Londoni suur tulekahju”. 1983. aastal järgnes sellele “Oscar Wilde’i viimane testament”, mis võitis Somerset Maughami auhinna. Ackroydi enda sõnade kohaselt kujutas see teema endast omamoodi väljakutset. Tihti on väidetud, et Wilde’i on küll võimalik parodeerida, kuid pole võimalik teha järele tema stiili ega saavutada tema lauserütmi. Ackroyd on öelnud, et selle raamatu kirjutamisel aitas teda palju omaaegne õppimine katoliiklikus koolis. Pooled tema sealsed kaaslased olid iirlased ja tal tekkis üsna hea ettekujutus iiri kõnepruugist ja iiri meelelaadist. Loomulikult eelnes raamatu kirjutamisele ka kuudepikkune töö kõigega, mida Wilde oli kirjutanud ning lisaks tuli läbi lugeda ka teosed, mida Wilde oli või võis olla lugenud. Tulemuseks oli raamat, mille stiil ja väljenduslaad on Wilde’i stiiliga äravahetamiseni sarnane, selle päeviku oleks võinud tõesti Wilde ise kirjutada. Sellegipoolest on tegemist ilukirjandusega, mitte biograafiaga ning sellelt ei maksa oodata täielikku faktitruudust.
November 16, 2010
"Жизнь – это учитель, дающий напоследок самые простые уроки."
"...одно дело – ходить своими путями, чувствуя, что ты не такой, как прочие, иное дело – знать, что ты всеми отвергнут."
"В прогулках моих мне нравится то, что я понятия не имею, куда направляюсь"
"До чего же интересной становится жизнь, когда сам перестаешь быть ее частью. "
"...стать самим собой можно только в соприкосновении с другими"
"...если у тебя в кармане больше нет зеленых бумажек, у тебя нет ничего"
"Бедность – горькая школа, и познание людских сердец – горчайший из ее уроков. "
"Когда ты перестаешь изменять мир, он начинает изменять тебя"
"...не все движения души надо проявлять открыто"
"заставляя людей смеяться, ты их обезоруживаешь"
"Никогда не следует открывать миру свои подлинные чувства – иначе они будут растоптаны. "
"...жаждал любви и боялся ее – ибо, сказать по правде, не знал, в какой тени она могла прятаться. "
"...заниматься следует лишь тем, в чем можешь достичь совершенства"
"...жизнь нельзя увидеть. Ее можно только прожить."
"Единственное, что мы можем делать с нашими тяготами, это делиться ими с друзьями"
"Деньги подобны человеческой близости – когда они есть, о них не думаешь, когда их нет, не думаешь ни о чем другом."
". Современной английской литературе не везет: плохая работа всегда переоценивается, хорошая – остается непонятой. Этим все сказано. Но обсуждать такие вопросы с читающей публикой бесполезно – глупца можно убедить в чем угодно, кроме его собственной глупости."
"Я, конечно, понимал, что мои пьесы были безделками – изысканными безделками, – и открещивался от каждой из них, едва она получала признание публики; в случае провала я прижал бы пьесу к самому сердцу и объявил бы ее истинной вершиной своего творчества."
"Город подобен человеческому телу: в начале каждого дня он пробуждается неоскверненным и облачается в одеяния, сотканные из чуда и славы."
"На углу улицы Жакоб рядом со старым музыкантом возился мальчик; он тщательно собрал несколько су, брошенных старику, и положил перед ним. На другой стороне улицы двое юношей помогали пожилой женщине взойти на крыльцо – в их лицах было столько радости, что на душе у меня сразу полегчало. Мальчик ласкал собаку, положившую лапы ему на плечи. Разум и сердце мое живут теперь именно такими вот событиями. Это происходит сегодня, восьмого октября 1900 года, – и будет длиться вечно."
"...одно дело – ходить своими путями, чувствуя, что ты не такой, как прочие, иное дело – знать, что ты всеми отвергнут."
"В прогулках моих мне нравится то, что я понятия не имею, куда направляюсь"
"До чего же интересной становится жизнь, когда сам перестаешь быть ее частью. "
"...стать самим собой можно только в соприкосновении с другими"
"...если у тебя в кармане больше нет зеленых бумажек, у тебя нет ничего"
"Бедность – горькая школа, и познание людских сердец – горчайший из ее уроков. "
"Когда ты перестаешь изменять мир, он начинает изменять тебя"
"...не все движения души надо проявлять открыто"
"заставляя людей смеяться, ты их обезоруживаешь"
"Никогда не следует открывать миру свои подлинные чувства – иначе они будут растоптаны. "
"...жаждал любви и боялся ее – ибо, сказать по правде, не знал, в какой тени она могла прятаться. "
"...заниматься следует лишь тем, в чем можешь достичь совершенства"
"...жизнь нельзя увидеть. Ее можно только прожить."
"Единственное, что мы можем делать с нашими тяготами, это делиться ими с друзьями"
"Деньги подобны человеческой близости – когда они есть, о них не думаешь, когда их нет, не думаешь ни о чем другом."
". Современной английской литературе не везет: плохая работа всегда переоценивается, хорошая – остается непонятой. Этим все сказано. Но обсуждать такие вопросы с читающей публикой бесполезно – глупца можно убедить в чем угодно, кроме его собственной глупости."
"Я, конечно, понимал, что мои пьесы были безделками – изысканными безделками, – и открещивался от каждой из них, едва она получала признание публики; в случае провала я прижал бы пьесу к самому сердцу и объявил бы ее истинной вершиной своего творчества."
"Город подобен человеческому телу: в начале каждого дня он пробуждается неоскверненным и облачается в одеяния, сотканные из чуда и славы."
"На углу улицы Жакоб рядом со старым музыкантом возился мальчик; он тщательно собрал несколько су, брошенных старику, и положил перед ним. На другой стороне улицы двое юношей помогали пожилой женщине взойти на крыльцо – в их лицах было столько радости, что на душе у меня сразу полегчало. Мальчик ласкал собаку, положившую лапы ему на плечи. Разум и сердце мое живут теперь именно такими вот событиями. Это происходит сегодня, восьмого октября 1900 года, – и будет длиться вечно."
May 24, 2025
Happily rereading this one for my upcoming academic rant (conference paper)
"As soon as one's personality becomes a matter of public knowledge, and one's history is recited in the form of an indictment, it is remarkable how little one retains upon it. I became visibly what others thought, and said, of me: I grew tired, and old. In my last role, in the glare of the public gaze, I gave myself up to the hands of others."
I had my doubts about Ackroyd's attempt to write a faux-authentic diary of Oscar Wilde but I do like it in the end. I disagree with some of his inferences of Wilde's motives, such as his characterization of Wilde's relationship with Constance and the character of Bosie. The latter I disagreed with because it makes Bosie look a lot more sympathetic than historical documents show us he was but I suppose Wilde has a history of being more than forgiving of Bosie's malignant behaviour so perhaps he was as naive as Ackroyd is suggesting.
I liked the ending best, with Maurice coming in to write down what Wilde no longer has the ability to record for himself. Maurice weaves in his own thoughts, wondering what he should write down or leave out and shows discomfort with his role of representing Wilde's last moments. It takes on this inherent self-reflexive narration of neo-Victorian fiction, the affective discomfort of revisting the lives of people that we cannot claim to know.
"As soon as one's personality becomes a matter of public knowledge, and one's history is recited in the form of an indictment, it is remarkable how little one retains upon it. I became visibly what others thought, and said, of me: I grew tired, and old. In my last role, in the glare of the public gaze, I gave myself up to the hands of others."
I had my doubts about Ackroyd's attempt to write a faux-authentic diary of Oscar Wilde but I do like it in the end. I disagree with some of his inferences of Wilde's motives, such as his characterization of Wilde's relationship with Constance and the character of Bosie. The latter I disagreed with because it makes Bosie look a lot more sympathetic than historical documents show us he was but I suppose Wilde has a history of being more than forgiving of Bosie's malignant behaviour so perhaps he was as naive as Ackroyd is suggesting.
I liked the ending best, with Maurice coming in to write down what Wilde no longer has the ability to record for himself. Maurice weaves in his own thoughts, wondering what he should write down or leave out and shows discomfort with his role of representing Wilde's last moments. It takes on this inherent self-reflexive narration of neo-Victorian fiction, the affective discomfort of revisting the lives of people that we cannot claim to know.
July 25, 2011
A brilliantly imagined and realized faux 'memoir' of Oscar Wilde, written in his last, declining days -- c. 1900 -- in Paris. Ackroyd really succeeds in capturing the voice and wit of Wilde in this elegiac work, which looks back over the whole of the writer's life with a mix of pride and pathos. A must read for fans of Wilde. Apparently currently out of print, I found my copy second-hand on the Amazon marketplace...
October 13, 2023
This went from utterly boring, making it hard to get through, to having some of the most beautifully written lines, doing Oscar Wilde's memory justice. If you like Wilde's writing style as well as his life story, this is definitely for you. I think the start was a bit dull but it did gradually improve and sometimes, it even managed to be quite funny. I didn't love it but the author does a great job at portraying this amazing writer in his final days.
August 8, 2012
Oscar Wilde might have written it himself. Utter human tragedy portrayed.
How painful and sad to walk in the footsteps of Oscar Wilde in his last days. Oh, that clever man.
Peter Ackroyd at his finest for me. A must read for Oscar Wilde fans.
How painful and sad to walk in the footsteps of Oscar Wilde in his last days. Oh, that clever man.
Peter Ackroyd at his finest for me. A must read for Oscar Wilde fans.
January 15, 2021
Badly done peter; though not in all intolerable, I wish this book didnt exist. That being said, good fodder for an essay, so: tomatoe/no tomatoe.
October 5, 2023
i’d believe it if someone told me this was a sequel to de profundis.
June 1, 2021
The premise is: a diary of the last days of Oscar Wilde. Ackroyd gets the voice of Wilde and it is meticulously researched, so it is well done. But that was not enough for me to enjoy it.
Ultimately, this is a diary of a man looking back over his life while experiencing an end-of-life or mid-life crisis. It is honest and people going through a mid-life crisis will resonate, but it was exactly why I couldn't enjoy it. I have the same conversation with all male friends and family members. Sure the references are different, but it is so hard to keep sympathy with this tone over so many pages. All men realise at some point they are not gods and then tell you how awful that is while telling you exactly how they are just like a whole list of gods. Having done this many times now, I found reading 180ish pages of "I am the greatest thing ever and life is so cruel" frustrating. This is a shame, because one naturally should have sympathy for Wilde given the tragic turn of his life. Instead, I just wanted him to shut up.
In terms of insight into Wilde - or the mid-life crisis - this book adds nothing new. Expect no new angles or new ideas, no new takes on Wilde or his biography. If you like Wilde you will probably want to read it. If you are going through a mid-life crisis, you will probably feel seen. But if you, too, are tired of the same old mid-life-crisis story, I suggest looking at this talented author's other books.
Ultimately, this is a diary of a man looking back over his life while experiencing an end-of-life or mid-life crisis. It is honest and people going through a mid-life crisis will resonate, but it was exactly why I couldn't enjoy it. I have the same conversation with all male friends and family members. Sure the references are different, but it is so hard to keep sympathy with this tone over so many pages. All men realise at some point they are not gods and then tell you how awful that is while telling you exactly how they are just like a whole list of gods. Having done this many times now, I found reading 180ish pages of "I am the greatest thing ever and life is so cruel" frustrating. This is a shame, because one naturally should have sympathy for Wilde given the tragic turn of his life. Instead, I just wanted him to shut up.
In terms of insight into Wilde - or the mid-life crisis - this book adds nothing new. Expect no new angles or new ideas, no new takes on Wilde or his biography. If you like Wilde you will probably want to read it. If you are going through a mid-life crisis, you will probably feel seen. But if you, too, are tired of the same old mid-life-crisis story, I suggest looking at this talented author's other books.
May 28, 2022
There are books that have me wondering - "Could this book get published today?" There seems to be a template for modern fiction that rarely varies, and annoying trends like writing in the present tense - the entire book, mind you - that make an original point of view or thoughtful prose style seem almost dated.
I don't know whether Peter Ackroyd's "The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde" could get published today, but it is well worth seeking out. Ackroyd delivers a fictionalized journal of a disgraced and debt-ridden Wilde's last months, living in exile in France, struggling to revive his literary career, as he reflects upon his life, his marriage, his career and downfall with a sometimes pathetic, sometimes defensive tone that conveys an authenticity even to those who might only know Wilde from his successful stage plays. Ackroyd manages to create such a convincing "voice" that it does seem more a memoir than a work of fiction. Perhaps the key players in his life and downfall - his wife, Constance, his closest friends, Bosie - could have been fleshed out better, but overall it is a very interesting read. Long out of print, second hand copies are available and worth seeking out.
I don't know whether Peter Ackroyd's "The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde" could get published today, but it is well worth seeking out. Ackroyd delivers a fictionalized journal of a disgraced and debt-ridden Wilde's last months, living in exile in France, struggling to revive his literary career, as he reflects upon his life, his marriage, his career and downfall with a sometimes pathetic, sometimes defensive tone that conveys an authenticity even to those who might only know Wilde from his successful stage plays. Ackroyd manages to create such a convincing "voice" that it does seem more a memoir than a work of fiction. Perhaps the key players in his life and downfall - his wife, Constance, his closest friends, Bosie - could have been fleshed out better, but overall it is a very interesting read. Long out of print, second hand copies are available and worth seeking out.
July 19, 2022
Ackroyd, Peter - The Last Testament Of Oscar Wilde
Oddly enough, I missed this book when it was published.
Then again, I was in profound financial distress in 1984.
Fortunately, while reading Green Book #6 (Swan River), interview subject, David Skal, referenced Ackroyd’s book and I directed my library to retrieve a copy for me.
Mr. Wilde is persuaded to keep a journal during his Paris sojourn.
This comes after the fame, after the trial, the imprisonment, after “The Ballad Of Reading Gaol”.
Written during the final four months of his life, Wilde reminisces on his life from childhood through school, from fame to infamy. Determination, temptations, reckless choices.
Ackroyd shows an uncanny ability to, chameleon like, capture Wilde’s voice, the sharp wit, fond recollections, and the weariness of it all.
(When mention was made of an Edison recording with Wilde speaking, I spent several hours searching for it.)
I found this to be an exceptional book, and consider it to be must-read, perhaps must-own, for Wilde devotees.
Oddly enough, I missed this book when it was published.
Then again, I was in profound financial distress in 1984.
Fortunately, while reading Green Book #6 (Swan River), interview subject, David Skal, referenced Ackroyd’s book and I directed my library to retrieve a copy for me.
Mr. Wilde is persuaded to keep a journal during his Paris sojourn.
This comes after the fame, after the trial, the imprisonment, after “The Ballad Of Reading Gaol”.
Written during the final four months of his life, Wilde reminisces on his life from childhood through school, from fame to infamy. Determination, temptations, reckless choices.
Ackroyd shows an uncanny ability to, chameleon like, capture Wilde’s voice, the sharp wit, fond recollections, and the weariness of it all.
(When mention was made of an Edison recording with Wilde speaking, I spent several hours searching for it.)
I found this to be an exceptional book, and consider it to be must-read, perhaps must-own, for Wilde devotees.
August 14, 2024
even oscar himself would say this was crammed with an unreasonable number of epigrams. which is to say, it was incredibly accurate and fun to read.
on another note, normalize magical thinking: “I wrote once in Dorian Gray, to say a thing is to bring it to pass and then I crossed the phrase out. The world does not know of it because I did not want the world to understand one of the secrets of my art. It is a strange thing, but in all my writing I anticipate my own fate. Everything that has happened to me - even the beautiful spring day when I was released from the winter of prison - is mentioned somewhere in my work.”
on another note, normalize magical thinking: “I wrote once in Dorian Gray, to say a thing is to bring it to pass and then I crossed the phrase out. The world does not know of it because I did not want the world to understand one of the secrets of my art. It is a strange thing, but in all my writing I anticipate my own fate. Everything that has happened to me - even the beautiful spring day when I was released from the winter of prison - is mentioned somewhere in my work.”
February 6, 2022
Speaking as someone with only limited knowledge of Oscar Wilde’s life this seems to me to be a tour de force.Vast erudition is shown and immense skill in echoing Wilds’s style and voice.Such a tragic waste of a life and talent but as he admits it was all his fault in the life style he adopted,the trial he foolishly entered into,his folly in having Bosie as a friend and the sadness he brought to his mother, wife,children and friends.A wonderful achievement but a book to admire but not one to get lost in.
August 12, 2023
A pretty good rendition of "de profundis" Wilde with some brilliant lines and a few genius insertions of fictionalized elements in biography, but also areas of hollowness. The conclusion had a soft and quietly brilliant landing.
I'm not sure what Wilde might think of it...maybe that he wishes he'd thought of it first--but I think he might also hate it. There's something very flattering in co-opting and author's voice in their art that seems not to extend as well to their memoir. With Wilde, that line is blurry, but more for us than for him.
I'm not sure what Wilde might think of it...maybe that he wishes he'd thought of it first--but I think he might also hate it. There's something very flattering in co-opting and author's voice in their art that seems not to extend as well to their memoir. With Wilde, that line is blurry, but more for us than for him.
September 10, 2023
El hecho de que no fuera Wilde quien escribió esta biografía me hacía desconectar en ciertas escenas o perder la credibilidad y la emoción. Considero que está muy bien escrita, pero no me ha llegado lo suficiente. Bastante indiferente.
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