Ko tikitės skaitydami biografijas? Nesu didelė biografijų skaitytoja. Oscar Wilde biografija, jei gerai pamenu, man antroji. Tikėjausi sužinoti daugiau apie nuostabųjį genijų, pajausti jo dvasią, suprasti jo kūrybinį kelią. Iš esmės turbūt visada tikimės intymumo. Šiuo atveju intymumas biografijoje yra, tačiau visai kitoks nei galite įsivaizduoti. Iš esmės tai 700 puslapių Sodomos ir Gomoros.

Manau, tai, jog Oscar Wilde buvo homoseksualus žino visi pikantiškų naujienų
medžiotojai. Būti netradicinės seksualinės orientacijos tuo metu buvo didelis dalykas. Asmeninis gyvenimas, tai, kas vyksta už uždarų durų buvo apibrėžta įstatymų. Homoseksualūs santykiai draudžiami. Savaime suprantama, savo seksualumo atradimas, susitaikymas yra kelias, kurį nuėjo ir žymus rašytojas. Neabejotinai tai padarė vienokią ar kitokią įtaką jo kūrybai. Bėda tame, kad visa biografija pastatyta vien ant “seksualumo kortos”. Man toks požiūris nepriimtinas, nes ��mogus, juo labiau toks gilus ir jautrus, kaip Oscar Wilde tikrai turėjo gyvenime kitų inspiracijų ir formuotojų nei jo paties seksualumas. Atrodo labai keistai kai visa didžiulės apimties biografija remiama seksualiniais santykiais, berniukų paieškomis, orgijomis ir pan. Scenų detalumas taip pat perteklinis. Nemanau, kad iki visiško atvirumo reikėjo aprašinėti seksualinius santykius, nes prasmės tas jokios nepriduoda, juo labiau autorius su žvake nestovėjo tad tas detalumas sukuria jausmą, kad čia savotiškas rašančiojo fetišas ir tiek.

Ar rekomenduočiau? Siūlau skaityti tuo atveju, jei susidomėjimo objektas ne pats Oscar Wilde, o homoseksualumas.

Interesting, however a little bit too long in my opinion!

McKenna is fascinated by Wilde's way of life and doesn't seem to mind his obnoxious behaviour towards his wife.

An excellent biography, not only informative and insightful but also a delight to read. A must-read for everyone interested in Oscar Wilde!

I hadn't read too much Wilde above and beyond "The Importance of Being Ernest" and The Picture of Dorian Grey in high school, but Wilde had always seemed like a very interesting British literary figure. I knew he was scandalous and I was interested to gain a better grasp of why. To be sure, this book certainly went the extra mile to ensure of just how and why Wilde was famous, as well as infamous.

I must start off by saying I learned an astonishing amount about Wilde, and to a depth I certainly was not expecting. I had an idea that Wilde was a complex man, but I had no clue just how complex. I am impressed by the sheer amount of primary sources, personal accounts and letter, and diary entries McKenna was able to obtain, let alone work into this biographical work. I will provide a word of caution, however: This angle focuses a great deal on Wilde's personal sphere and sexual life -- often using pretty explicit language and descriptions. I wasn't offended by any means, I was just not expecting it (though, I suppose I should have, given the book's title and description). I didn't find it gratuitous or included with the sole intent to shock. I don't feel this should be a deterrent from reading this book -- just don't say that no one warned you!

The book was, overall, very interesting. I learned so much about the complex man who wrote provocative, highly-controversial, and memorable works, as well as helped promote and support love amongst men in Britain. I was moved by the obvious depth of his love for Bosie and shocked by the breadth of Wilde's passions and affairs. There was fascinating information about Wilde's marriage and family life. I was truly moved by how tragic his marriage to poor Constance was. The fact that a part of her continued to love and care for Oscar -- even after all his infidelity, overspending, indiscretions, lawsuits, scandals, and imprisonment -- was profoundly moving. Despite all of Wilde's faults, I found him captivating. What an interesting man he must have been! What it must have been like to converse with a mind of his ilk!

I was extremely impressed with this biography. Though this genre is not normally my cup of tea, I loved how much I learned. I will admit that it took me much longer to read than I am used to. The writing was eloquent and filled to the brim with excellent information, so I'm unsure why this was the case. There were times I would think, "Well this bit was interesting, but I think this could've been shortened by a few paragraphs." Then, I would consider the fact that those paragraphs contained some interesting source material and it may have been a loss to Wilde's legacy to omit them. This book ended up being as much a biography if Wilde as it was the history of homosexuality and love between men in Britain. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Wilde or this fascinating history. I will reiterate my caution that the reader cannot be sensitive or easily offended by the material -- more's the pity because you're missing out on some rich, fascinating history!

I want to conclude by including some of my favorite quotes from the book. Both come from early on in the work and, I think, they really helped to suck me in. The following quote is from a letter Wilde wrote to a woman to whom he'd proposed when he was younger. His friend, her brother, died and Wilde wrote this in a letter to her: "I am so glad you are coming to town. I want to see you though the memories you will bring with you will be most bitter. Yet often I think when a friend dies those who are left become very close to one another, just as when an oak falls in the forest the other trees reach our and join branches over the vacant place" (21). The next quote comes from comments Wilde made about his extended visit and tour of the United States: "America is a land of unmatched vitality and vulgarity...a people who care not at all about values other than their own and, who, when they make up their minds, love you and hate you with a passionate zeal" (35). I found the first one profoundly beautiful, and the second quote to be extremely poignant...and familiar. Is it just me or does this ring true about a hundred years or so after Wilde penned it?

Out of the three biographies that I read (Oscar Wilde, The Stranger Wilde, and this one), this one was the most detailed. The very first chapter was written so well that the scene played out in my head like I was watching a movie. It also put an optimistic light on Oscar's last years. If anyone is going to read about him, I would highly recommend this one.

I thought it would wrap up soon, but then I saw I was only 25% of the way in. How tf was the author going to stretch it out? Then i realized I'd been introduced to Fred Adkins like fifteen times, so I gave up.

Başlarda sevmeyerek ve ittire ittire okuduğum kitabı, vedalaşacağımız için kalbim kırık bir şekilde bitirdim. Öncelikle çok emek verilerek yazılmış bir biyografi olduğu belli, Oscar Wilde'ın ve dostlarının mektuplarından sayısız alıntı var ama bunlar her zaman direkt alıntı şeklinde değil. Yazar elindeki malzemeleri iyi kullanıp çok başarılı bir şekilde hikayeleştirmiş. Adeta bir roman gibi akıcı okunuyor. O dönemin tüm atmosferini yaşıyorsunuz, yazarın anlatımı ve betimlemeleri oldukça başarılı.

Benim kitapla anlaşamadığım nokta yazarın Oscar Wilde'a bu denli korumacı yaklaşımı. Çoğu yerde onu kayırması. Her konuda kendi kişisel görüşünü yansıtması, aslında bir bakıma okuru da manipüle etmesi. Tabii ki tüm kitap boyunca tamamen objektif olmasını bekleyemeyiz ama bu kadar hararetli bir savunma pozisyonundan ben hoşnut kalmadım. Keşke hangi olayla ilgili ne düşüneceğime benim karar vermeme izin verseydi. Gerçekten okura nefes alacak alan bırakmamış. Buna rağmen Oscar Wilde'ın hayatı ve ruhu o kadar romantik, dokunaklı, aykırı ve hüzünlü ki müthiş etkilenmiş halde bitirdim kitabı. Daha önce hiç Wilde okumamıştım. Sırada külliyatı var, hadi bakalım.

The bibliography and notes are not very convenient to use. Moreover the book is riddled with typing mistakes. For instance, in one paragraph Pierre Louys is named and the following paragraph he becomes Pierre Louts. That book could have been interesting but ends up being confusing.

Moreover, while I understand that my opinion might be too 21st century, the complacency and casualness in recounting what was paedocriminality is nerve grating to the least.

Interesting, but too long and repetitive... you know, it seems (according to McKenna) Oscar Wilde was spending all the day long flirting with youngters (well, and you-know-what with them)... But, anyway, interesting as an absolutely fiction novel.