Illuminating essays on philsophy, literature, soceity, and art by one of Ireland's greatest wits
Oscar Wilde witty raconteur, flamboyant hedonist, and self-destructive lover is most familiar as the author of brilliant comedies, including The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband, and the decadent novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. This selection of critical writings reveals a different side of the great writer the deep and serious reader of literature and philosophy, and the eloquent and original thinker about society and art. This illuminating...

A definitive new collection of Oscar Wilde s best prison letters and poetry, with an introduction by Colm Toibin

Bankrupt and with his reputation in ruins, Oscar Wilde wrote the astonishing letter De Profundis to his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, while in prison. Editor Colm Toibin, the acclaimed author ofThe Blackwater Lightship, The Master, andBrooklyn, describes it as Wilde s greatest piece of prose writing. Also included is The Ballad of Reading Gaol, Wilde s most famous poem and one of the greatest ballads in the English language, as well as other...

When the Selfish Giant builds a high wall round his lovely garden to keep the children out, the North Wind blows, the Frost comes and the Snow dances through the trees. The Giant wonders why Spring never comes to his cold, white garden. Then one day the Giant looks out to see a most wonderful sight . . . Oscar Wilde's much-loved fairy-tale is brought to life again with beautiful illustrations by Michael Foreman and Freire Wright.

Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray exchanges his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life; indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only his portrait bears the traces of his decadence. The novel was a succes de scandale and the book was later used as evidence against Wilde at the Old Bailey in 1895. It has lost none of its power to fascinate and disturb.

'The Decay of Lying' sees Oscar Wilde explore his deepest preoccupations about the relationship between life and art, and examine the work of such writers as Shakespeare and Balzac.

This poem, originally published anonymously, written after Wilde's two years hard labour in Reading prison, is the tale of a man who has been sentenced to hang for the murder of the woman he loved. It follows the inmate through his final three weeks, as he stares at the sky and silently drinks his beer ration.

A socialite, a wit, a man who flaunted convention and was unafraid to shock, Oscar Wilde was a great writer and a great man. This collection of wit and wisdom demonstrates the brilliance of his vision, the audacity of his style.

Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray exchanges his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life, indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only his portrait bears the traces of his decadence.

These special fairy tales, which Oscar Wilde made up for his own sons, include 'The Happy Prince', who was not as happy as he seemed, 'The Selfish Giant', who learned to love little children, and 'The Star-Child', who was made to suffer when he rejected his parents.

An astounding novel of decadence and the secret live within from one of Ireland's greatest writers
The Picture of Dorian Gray was a succes de scandale. Early readers were shocked by its hints at unspeakable sins and the book was later used as evidence against Wilde at the Old Bailey in 1895.
Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray makes a Faustian bargain to sell his soul in exchange for eternal youth and beauty. Under the influence of Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life, where he is able to indulge his desires while remaining a...