Not something that I would normally read, but this was much better than anticipated! This is a must read!

I love Oscar Wilde. His tales have been part of my life since I was a child. In my teenager years his plays were the "shelter" when I felt sad. His work is wonderful, but, in this special edition, you can find everything he wrote, even the poems (which are not so good as his other works to me). I have a 1968 edition of this Collins Classics with beautiful illustrations and a great introduction by Vyvyan Holland. Beautiful edition!

It’s magnificent. You know it is. Just read it.

This book contains all Oscar Wilde's writings. I read the novels, but not his poems. His writing can be flowery, but lethal at the same time. His children's tales are creepy and rarely has a happy ending, like the prince who discovers kindness, but dies three years later after living a hard life. Or the Happy Prince statue who gives away his jewels and gold plate to the poor and his sparrow friend who dies staying with him in the winter. Or the nightengale who pieces his heart with a thorn to grow a rose for a young man who wants it for a young woman and then tosses the rose away. A bitter strain creeps through his works.

A long read but worth the effort

I was only meant to read the novels of Oscar Wilde, but as I had the Complete works I just carried on reading.

Another one of my favourite writers of all time. Will come back later to fully review.

This review is a work-in-progress. I'm reading this whole collection, but will be reviewing the individual reads separately as I go along, so don't be all confused by the otherwise seemingly random posting of Wilde stories and plays.

I am going to skip reading The Picture of Dorian Gray because I read that just a few years ago. My review is behind that link; knock yourself out.

Individual reviews will be linked here as I go along, just to really annoy everyone each time it pops up in their updates:

Short Stories
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime
The Canterville Ghost

Fables, Fairy Tales, and Other Really Really Short Pieces Filled with Morals
The Sphinx Without a Secret
The Model Millionaire
The Young King
The Birthday of the Infanta
The Fisherman and His Soul
The Star-Child
The Happy Prince
The Nightingale and the Rose
The Selfish Giant
The Devoted Friend
The Remarkable Rocket

Plays
The Importance of Being Earnest
Lady Windermere's Fan
A Woman of No Importance
An Ideal Husband
Salomé
The Duchess of Padua

Next up... Vera, or The Nihilists.

Aug 7, 2019
Another behemoth that deserves my attention once life settles down again. I will return to this after completing my graduate program.

I love Oscar Wilde. His stories, his plays, his fairy tales are all so full of charm and wit, while making his point heard. I will never tire of his works.

Almost from the moment of hіs death іn1900, Oscar Wіlde’s astonіshіngly large and dіverse body of work has been dіsmіssed by a successіon of crіtіcs as medіocre, dіstіnguіshed only by іn the words of the Tіmes Lіterary Supplement one perfect play, one memorable poem, and De Profundіs. Thіs hefty gatherіng of hіs plays, storіes, poems, essays, and crіtіcіsm has been contіnuously іn prіnt іn England sіnce 1948, suggestіng that a persіstent body of readers feels otherwіse. Thіs new edіtіon, edіted by Holland (The Wіlde Album, 1998) and publіshed on the centennіal of Wіlde’s death, іncorporates both revіsіons and lucіd, іf generally dry, іntroductіons to each of hіs genres, offerіng an opportunіty, for those who fondly remember The Іmportance of Beіng Ernest or The Ballad of Readіng Gaol, to sample more of thіs wrіter’s prodіgіous output. Part of the problem may always have been Wіlde’s efforts, over the course of hіs short, controversіal career, to play down hіs іndustrіousness. Іn fact, he poured out a torrent of words, wrіtіng іn more forms than most of hіs contemporarіes. Іnevbіlіty, some of the work, іncludіng most notіceably certaіn poems and short storіes, shows іts age. But the faіry tales, many of the plays, and the crіtіcіsm retaіn, undіmіnіshed, the abіІіty to surprіse, provoke, and delіght. And Wіlde’s only novel, The Pіcture of Dorіan Gray, seems іn an age devoted to youth unsettІіngly modern. A necessary volume for lіbrarіes and a very welcome one for those wіshіng to explore more of the facets of one of the most orіgіnal mіnds of late Vіctorіan England

As I read Oscar Wilde, I will read from this collection where my notes and highlights will be. I will review his works by their title. Look under my Oscar Wilde shelf for my list. There are no typos notes yet and very navigational.

Brilliant writing. Real, deep themes which one can relate to the present life. A fantastic ending. Definitely worth every single one of those 5 stars.

It was free on Kindle. I like it that it's easy to navigate as a document.