Showing results by author "Oscar Wilde" in All Categories

In this celebrated work, his only novel, Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late 19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world.

The Devoted Friend is a short fairy tale written by Oscar Wilde. The tale concerns Big Hugh, the miller, and his best friend, Hans. The story is told by a linnet to a water rat following a conversation about what it means to be a devoted friend.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a Gothic, philosophical novel by Oscar Wilde, first published complete in the July 1890 issue of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. It offended the moral sensibilities of many British book reviewers, some of whom said that Wilde merited prosecution for violating the laws guarding public morality. In response, he aggressively defended his novel and art in correspondence with the British press. This was is the only novel written by Wilde.

Celtic Poets breathes vitality into the works of Swift, Burns, Wilde, and more. Cosham's finely honed delivery brings verdant valleys, quaint villages, and drunkards' and maidens' conversations to listeners' ears. What is not to love?

Vera; or, The Nihilists is Oscar Wilde’s first play. It features Russian revolutionaries who seek to assassinate a reform-minded Emperor, and is loosely based on the life of Vera Zasulich who shot the Governor of St. Petersburg in 1878. Contemporary events in Russia, as published in the British press of the time, clearly influenced the plot and characters. The first public performance of Vera; or, The Nihilists was in New York City in 1883. The play was a failure and folded after one week. It remains fascinating as part of a study into the development of Wilde's work.

El rancio abolengo de la tradición aristocrática británica, se enfrenta a su peor enemigo: una familia americana.....El gran fantasma de Canterville que había llevado durante más de 500 años una vida tranquila, aunque triste, se va a ver de repente enfrentado a la peor de las pesadillas que se podia imaginar: los Otis.El respeto al terror tradicional, provocado por los fantasmas medievales, el pánico generado por esos espíritus ancestrales.

I en medio de una reunión se le acerca alguien y le dice que le va a leer la mano, ¿Que haría usted?,- le seguiría el juego, ahora que es el centro de atención de la reunión?- o por el contrario ni siquiera le tendería la mano, por si acaso. Mucho nos reimos de las llamadas pseudociencias, pero si nos hicieran una predicción del futuro en la que nos dijeran que nos esperaba algo terrible, ¿ que haríamos?

A l'occasion d'une soirée, lord Arthur Savile rencontre un chiromancien qui lui prédit un funeste destin. Sa vie en sera bouleversée. "Dix minutes plus tard, le visage blanc de terreur, les yeux affolés de chagrin, lord Arthur Savile se précipitait hors de Bentinck House. Il se fit un chemin à travers la cohue des valets de pied, couverts de fourrures, qui stationnaient autour du grand pavillon à colonnades. Il semblait ne voir ni n’entendre quoi que ce fût.

A short touching story about a man who is poor but becomes rich through an act of kindness.

Oscar Wilde was sentenced to two years in prison, part of which he spent in Reading Gaol. About five months after Wilde arrived at Reading Gaol, Charles Thomas Wooldridge, a trooper in the Royal Horse Guards, was brought to Reading to await his trial for murdering his common-law wife (and promptly presenting himself and confessing to a policeman) on 29 March 1896; on 17 June, Wooldridge was sentenced to death and returned to Reading for his execution, which took place on Tuesday, 7 July 1896 - the first hanging at Reading in 18 years. The poem is dedicated to him.

Oscar Wilde was always willing to express his opinions on a wide variety of subjects, including his own writings. The following selection of letters was prepared and edited by his executor Robert Ross, who is best known for expurgating and publishing Wilde's last major work, De Profundis.

A House of Pomegranates is a collection of four long stories, which was first was published in 1891: "The Young King"; "The Birthday of the Infanta"; "The Fisherman and His Soul"; and "The Star-Child".

Oscar was not only a prolific author but also attracted the critical attention of many other writers. This collection contains a poem and two nonfiction works by Wilde, and three essays about Wilde by contemporary commentators.

Un manoir hanté, le fantôme d'un homme qui a tué sa femme et une tâche de sang qui apparaît de façon récurrente. Pourtant, Mr Otis n'a pas peur et ne croit pas aux revenants. "Le Fantôme de Canterville" est une nouvelle dont l'écriture se prête à différentes grilles de lecture. Ainsi, les plus jeunes en apprécieront sans nul doute les traits d'humour, alors que d'autres y trouveront une forme particulièrement intelligente de critique sociale.

Oscar Wilde visited America in the year 1882. Interest in the Aesthetic School, of which Wilde was the most prominent representative, had spread to the United States, and Wilde decided to undertake an American lecture tour to explain the Aesthetic movement. Towards the end of September 1883 Wilde returned to England and immediately commenced a lecturing tour. His first visit was to Wandsworth Town Hall where he presented his "Impressions of America", the text of which was published in 1906.

This essay was written in 1891 after Wilde had become enamored of concepts expressive of a liberal socialism. In his view, the aim of socialism should be "to try to reconstruct society on such a basis that poverty will be impossible". Typically, Wilde stresses the vital role played by art and the imperative significance of the artist.

Oscar Wilde bleibt keine Zeit zum Durchatmen. Nur knapp ist er in Whitby dem Tod entronnen. Doch kaum in London angekommen, sieht er sich auch hier mit einer neuen Gefahr konfrontiert. Eine unbekannte dunkle Macht streckt ihre Finger nach der britischen Hauptstadt aus. Menschen verschwinden spurlos. Auch einer von Mycroft Holmes Agenten gehört zu den Vermissten. Ein neuer Gegner tritt aus den Schatten und fordert die Sonderermittler der Krone zum Kampf!

Dorian Gray, ein wohlhabender englischer Gentleman, ist nur von einem einzigen Gedanken besessen: die ewige Jugend zu erlangen! Von seiner eigenen Schönheit bezaubert, verkauft er seine Seele, um seinen Wunschtraum wahr werden zu lassen. Hemmungslos gibt er sich seinem Hang zu maßloser Verschwendung, Verbrechen und Grausamkeit hin, denn er altert nicht mehr und sein zügelloser Lebensstil hinterlässt an seinem Körper keine Spuren. Doch auf seinem gemalten Porträt verbirgt sich die grauenvolle Wahrheit.

The first four stories were first published as a collection in 1891. The final story, "The Portrait of Mr W. H.", originally published separately in 1889, was later added to an expanded collection. All the stories deal with personal relationships and their inevitable influence on the course of a person's life.

In einer stürmischen Gewitternacht läuft vor der britischen Ostküste ein Schiff auf Grund. An Bord eine unheilvolle Fracht, die nicht für die Augen der Öffentlichkeit bestimmt ist. Nur wenige Stunden später wird die beschauliche Küstenstadt Whitby von einer brutalen Mordserie erschüttert. Die Opfer scheinen einem Wahnsinnigen in die Hände gefallen zu sein. Die örtlichen Behörden sind mit dem Fall überfordert. Als die Nachricht London erreicht, zögert Mycroft Holmes keine Sekunde und sendet Oscar Wilde nach Whitby, um der abscheulichen Verbrechensserie ein Ende zu bereiten.