Guest classic author revisited. Oscar Wilde. And a question. Have you written a book based on a classic?

Hi all:

As you know on Fridays I bring you guest authors and books, in a shape or another, and recently I decided to start exploring classics again. As my original posts are quite old I thought it might be worth sharing some of the early ones again as many of you might not have been visiting at the time and might enjoy them.

I got many interesting suggestions for other guests that I’ve taken note of (and it’s likely that I’ll start exploring quite a few of them) but an author I know made a suggestion that resonated with me. She told me that one of her books (I’ll share in a few weeks as by the sound of it, it should be a fabulous read) follows quite closely on the steps of a famous classic and she commented on how tagging a new book related to a classic to a post on the classic itself might be a good way to kill two birds with one stone. And I thought, genius! So, although I have a few in mind, if you’ve written a book that is either a new version, a continuation, explores one of the characters,  takes place in the world of a classic (or even has one of the writers as a character), or has any strong link to a classic, please let me know in the comments or contact me with the details and I’ll add it to my list. 

And now, without further ado, one of my favourites. I bring you my post on Oscar Wilde. As you know I also shared the Selfish Giant over Christmas. And I’m sure I’ll keep on sharing his work.
It’s Friday and it’s again with great pleasure that I bring you one of my favourite authors. Yes, yes, he’s no longer with us but I feel he could hardly be with us more than he is. I’ve loved Oscar Wilde from a young age. I remember my friend Margarita would read everything Poe (I also enjoyed him) and I asked for the complete works of Oscar Wilde as a Christmas present. And loved them!

Oscar Wilde in New York (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What can I tell you about him? There are films, biographies, and more recently even novels where he is a character in its own right (involved in quite fun intrigues).

He was born in Dublin in 1853. His father was a doctor and a well-known eminent one. His mother wrote revolutionary poems, spoke several European languages and translated many works. He had an older brother and a sister who died of Scarlet Fever (I love ‘Requiescat’…simple and touching, quite different from much of his other work).

He was an excellent student, excelled at classics, studied at Trinity College in Dublin and Magdalene College in Oxford and became enamoured with aestheticism, to the point where he went to America to deliver a series of lectures on the subject.

He was writing poetry, early plays, went to France and married Constance Lloyd an educated woman with her own mind. He wrote Dorian and in rapid succession many of his plays and became very popular.

His wit is legendary, his homosexuality too, his affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, trial, imprisonment, his famous ‘Ballad of Reading Gaol’ all well known…And he died in Paris in 1900 and you can see his grave at La Pére Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. I love Epstein’s angel sculpture on his grave (Yes, of course I’ve visited. More than once).

Tomb of Oscar Wilde by Jacob Epstein (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I’ve been there recently and now it has a glass case around it to avoid the kisses, but there are still kisses.

There are many websites about Oscar Wilde, I leave you one link but…many…

http://www.cmgww.com/historic/wilde/index.php

Before I offer you free links to some of his works in electronic format I will offer you some of his quotes. There are so many….

“To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.”

— “An Ideal Husband”

“The Book of Life begins with a man and woman in a garden. It ends with Revelations.”

— “A Woman of No Importance”

“Most men and women are forced to perform parts for which they have no qualification.”

— “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime”

“The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything, except what is worth knowing.”

— “The Soul of Man Under Socialism”

“One should never trust a woman who tells one her real age. A woman who would tell one that, would tell one anything.”

— “A Woman of No Importance”

“I prefer women with a past. They’re always so damned amusing to talk to.”

— “Lady Windermere’s Fan”

“I don’t like compliments, and I don’t see why a man should think he is pleasing a woman enormously when he says to her a whole heap of things that he doesn’t mean.”

— “Lady Windermere’s Fan”

“Men become old, but they never become good.”

— “Lady Windermere’s Fan”

“A man who moralizes is usually a hypocrite, and a woman who moralizes is invariably plain.”

— “Lady Windermere’s Fan”

And now a few links. There are also very cheap versions of his works so…

‘The Importance of Being Earnest’

http://www.amazon.com/Importance-Being-Earnest-ebook/dp/B004UJCNKC/

‘The Picture of Doria Gray’

http://www.amazon.com/Picture-Dorian-Gray-ebook/dp/B0084AXZK0/

‘The Canterville Ghost’

http://www.amazon.com/The-Canterville-Ghost-ebook/dp/B0084BTWDS/

‘An Ideal Husband’

http://www.amazon.com/An-Ideal-Husband-ebook/dp/B004UJCKQY/

The Happy Prince and Other Tales (I adore his tales. Some are just funny and amusing, but some like the Happy Prince and the Selfish Giant really have a heart).

http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Prince-Other-Tales-ebook/dp/B0082ZICI2/

Selected poems of Oscar Wilde

http://www.amazon.com/Selected-Poems-Oscar-Wilde-ebook/dp/B004TPAYFI/

I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Thank you for reading and please, like, comment, share and CLICK!

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