This is a selection made from the book the Complete Letters of Oscar Wilde, edited by Rupert Hart-Davis, and published for the first time in 1962. These letters bring alive the life of one of the foremost writers of the late 19th century. Wilde is best known to the man on the street for his quips and humour. The Irish these days put Wilde on posters, along with Beckett, Shaw, Joyce, Kavanagh, Behan, Synge and Yeats, and are generally not much more informed. One could be forgiven for buying into the notion of Oscar Wilde, current in Wilde's own lifetime, as a idle though quickwitted fop. Arriving in London, Wilde had just come from Oxford as its top scholar in Greek, holder of the Newdigate prize for his poem "Ravenna," and very confident in his own potential, though perhaps not as clear as how this might translate into a livelihood. Many readers are only aware of Wilde as the author of a number of plays and a few good oneliners. This book and its excellent references and footnotes flesh out Wilde's character, from the gay martyr and icon of wit, to the friend and dedicated artist. The letters here cover all period of Wilde's life: we see Wilde as a school boy, on vacation from school; the scholar from Trinity College Dublin with a scholarship to Oxford; Wilde on suspension from Oxford, having overstayed his summer holidays on summer jaunt to Greece with Mahaffy, his old Greek tutor from Trinity College Dublin; Wilde going forth into the world with notions and plans; his one year in America lecturing on Dress Reform, The Renaissance, among other themes; Wilde seeking a position as an inspector of schools; Wilde's plans as editor of a Women's magazine which he ran for two years; and, gradually, Wilde's growing self assurance in making a living as a professional writer. The letters detail what happened to Wilde during and after the trial, what friends stayed with him, why he no longer wrote.

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About the Editor Sir Rupert Hart-Davis is the editor of The Letters of Oscar Wilde and More Letters of Oscar Wilde

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The Selected Letters of Oscar Wilde

Wilde, Oscar) Hart-Davis, Rupert (Editor)

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