Oscar Wilde Books

This edition marks the centenary of Oscar Wilde’s death, and is the most complete ever to appear. It contains over 1500 of his letters, and anyone unfamiliar with Wilde as a correspondent will find it packed with unexpected delights. This magnificent collection is a major publishing event. Of all nineteenth-century letter writers Oscar Wilde is, predictably, one of the most sparkling. Wonderfully fluent in style, the letters bear that most familiar of Wildean hallmarks – the lightest of touches for the most serious of subjects. He knew and corresponded with many leading political, literary and artistic figures of the time including William Gladstone, George Curzon, W. B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Frank Harris, Aubrey Beardsley and Max Beerbohm. Wilde’s letters show him at his informal best. They comment openly on his life and his work from the early years of undergraduate friendship, through his year-long lecture tour in America as a striving and ambitious young ‘Professor of Aesthetics’, to the short period of fame and success in the early 1890s followed by his disgrace and imprisonment. The last and most poignant section covers the five long years between his downfall and his early death in exile at forty-six. Even in adversity his humour does not desert him and he is able to share with his readers that greatest of gifts – the ability to smile at one’s own misfortune.

Oscar Wilde was Ireland’s greatest and most inspired wit. The brilliance of his writing is collected in this complete volume. Readers will relish his only novel The Portrait Dorian Gray; all of his plays including A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of being Earnest; essays; poems and stories for both children and adults.

This collection compiles the works of Oscar Wilde into a single, high-quality, and affordable Kindle volume. It includes all of his complete plays such as "Vera; or, The Nihilists," "The Duchess of Padua," "Lady Windermere's Fan," "A Woman of No Importance," "Salomé," "An Ideal Husband," and "The Importance of Being Earnest," along with fragments like "A Florentine Tragedy" and "La Sainte Courtisane." Additionally, it features his prose, short stories, and novels, including "A House of Pomegranates," "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime," "The Picture of Dorian Gray," and "Teleny." The collection also contains his complete poems and non-fiction works, such as "Intentions," "The Soul of Man Under Socialism," "De Profundis," and various essays and lectures addressing art, literature, and society. Wilde’s exploration of themes like aesthetics, morality, and social critique shines through his diverse writings. This comprehensive volume serves as an essential resource for both new readers and long-time admirers of Wilde's literary genius, encapsulating his wit, insight, and profound impact on literature and culture.

Treachery, blackmail, theft, and above all, self-interest abound in An Ideal Husband, the first drawing-room comedy to address political sleaze. In Wilde's more light-hearted comedy masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest, nothing is sacred. Wilde's dazzling barbed epigrams are directed at all that English high-society holds dear. 'The only pure verbal opera in English' (W.H. Auden), this play presents some of the most celebrated comic scenes in English drama -- Publisher's note on back cover.

The collection features Oscar Wilde's poignant fairytales, beautifully presented in a luxurious hardcover edition. Accompanied by original artwork from Yuko Shimizu, these stories explore themes of love, loss, and morality. An introduction by Michael Cunningham adds depth, offering insights into Wilde's literary significance and the timeless nature of his tales.

One of the greatest playwrights in the English language, Oscar Wilde was also a legendary wit and a poetic provocateur. He was put on trial and sentenced to two years of hard labor for "gross indecency" by the same English society whose hypocrisy he had put on stage to great effect. His refusal to renounce his homosexuality and love for Lord Alfred Douglas ("Bosie") made him first a martyr and later an icon for free love and a myth onto himself. This edition of surviving letters that Wilde wrote to his "own dear darling boy" is a testament to the enduring power and radical force of love. Included are the introductory essays by legendary bookseller A. S. W. Rosenbach and philanthropist William Clark, who first published these letters in 1924, and a little-known letter from Douglas to Wilde.

"Like two doomed ships that pass in storm We had crossed each other's way: But we made no sign, we said no word, We had no word to say" -Oscar Wilde, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898) The poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898) by Oscar Wilde, was inspired by the two years he spent in the jail of Reading Gaol, England. There he experienced the hanging of Royal Horse Guards trooper Charles Thomas Wooldridge, convicted for the murder of his wife. This poem, dedicated to Wooldridge, describes not only his execution, but is also an indictment of the Victorian penal system and a plea for reform of prison conditions. This poem, Wilde's last publication, was very successful and assured he had a steady income until his death at a young age in 1900.

He was brilliant, flamboyant, and unconventional, one of the great figures of his--or any other--age. Although Oscar Wilde's reputation now rests primarily on his sparkling, sophisticated plays with their razor-sharp wit, his body of work goes far beyond even those. Here, in one volume, is the sum of his artistic genius: all his stories, plays, fairy tales, and poems, complete with period illustrations. To find evidence of Wilde's theatrical savvy, one need look no further than The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband, both of which satirize and humorously highlight the hypocrisy of Victorian life. The Picture of Dorian Gray captures a profound knowledge of the depths to which the human soul can plunge, and in the years since it was written, its final moments have lost none of their power. In his fairy stories, including The Happy Prince and Other Tales, written for his own children, Wilde reveals heights of tenderness and beauty. There are classics like the Canterville Ghost and more. More than 850 pages worth!

Includes the following works: Novels- The Portrait of Dorian Gray; Plays-Salome and The Importance of Being Earnest; Writings-De Profundis, Critic as Artist, and Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Very Young; and selections from Lady Windermere's Fan, An Ideal Husband, and A Woman of No Importance. The Picture of Dorian Gray, Salome and The Importance of Being Earnest are accompanied by Wilde's prison memoirs, poems, and selected correspondence

A volume incorporating much of the best of Wilde's The Critic As Artist; The Picture of Dorian Grey; The Soul of Man Under Socialism; Lady Windermere's Fan; The Importance of Being Ernest; The Ballad of Reading Gaol; The Harlot's House; The Sphinx; The Artist; The House of Judgment; A Few Maxims for the Instruction of the Over Educated.

In print since 1948, this is a single-volume collection of Oscar Wilde's texts. It contains his only novel, The Portrait of Dorian Gray as well as his plays, stories, poems, essays and letters. Illustrated with many photographs, the book includes introductions to each section by Wilde's grandon, Merlin Holoand, Owen Dudley Edwards, Declan Kibertd and Terence Brown. A comprehensive bibliography of works by and about Oscar Wilde together with a chronological table of his life and work are also included.

Wilde's works are suffused with his aestheticism, brilliant craftsmanship, legendary wit and, ultimately, his tragic muse. He wrote tender fairy stories for children employing all his grace, artistry and wit, of which the best-known is The Happy Prince. Counterpoints to this were his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, which shocked and outraged many readers of his day, and his stories for adults which exhibited his fascination with the relations between serene art and decadent life. Wilde took London by storm with his plays, particularly his masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest. His essays - in particular De Profundis- and his Ballad of Reading Gaol, both written after his release from prison, strikingly break the bounds of his usual expressive range. His other essays and poems are all included in this comprehensive collection of the works of one of the most exciting writers of the late nineteenth century.

Including some of Oscar Wilde's most well-known and infamous plays, 'Lady Windermere's Fan', 'A Woman of No Importance', 'An Ideal Husband' and 'The Importance of Being Earnest', this collection of the writer's works displays his brilliant, quick wit to its full glory.

Bu kitap belirli bir sozcuk cercevesi icinde ve en basit Ingilizce'yle yazilmis hikayelerden olusmustur. Kitabin ozelligi her Ingilizce sayfanin karsisinda Turkce cevirisinin bulunmasi ve ayrica her hikaye sonunda onunla ilgili sorular ve cevaplarin yer almasidir.Bir bucuk yillik Ingilizce ogrenimi sonunda rahatca okunabilecek kolaylikta olan bu kitap Ingilizce hikaye serisinin biraz ilerlemis duzeyi olan "dorduncu derece" kitaplarindan biridir.Cep Boy: Sayfa Sayisi: 219Baski Yili: 1994e-Kitap: Sayfa Sayisi: 57Baski Yili: 2000Dili: TurkceYayinevi: Fono Yayinlari

This authoritative edition was formerly published in the acclaimed Oxford Authors series under the general editorship of Frank Kermode. It brings together a unique combination of Wilde's poetry and prose short stories, plays, critical dialogues and his only novel - to give the essence of his work and thinking.

A once selfish giant welcomes the children to his previously forbidden garden and is eventually rewarded by an unusual tiny child.

This volume contains everything Wilde wrote in dramatic form including his masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest -- printed here in its usual three-act form, but with an appendix containing the best material from the original four-act version. Also included are his three 'problem plays', Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance and An Ideal Husband, as well as his once-banned Salomé and several other little-known but fascinating dramas.

Flamboyant and controversial, Oscar Wilde was a dazzling personality, a master of wit, and a dramatic genius whose sparkling comedies contain some of the most brilliant dialogue ever written for the English stage. Here in one volume are his immensely popular novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray; his last literary work, “The Ballad of Reading Gaol,” a product of his own prison experience; and four complete plays: Lady Windermere’s Fan, his first dramatic success, An Ideal Husband, which pokes fun at conventional morality, The Importance of Being Earnest, his finest comedy, and Salomé, a portrait of uncontrollable love originally written in French and faithfully translated by Richard Ellmann.Every selection appears in its entirety–a marvelous collection of outstanding works by the incomparable Oscar Wilde, who’s been aptly called “a lord of language” by Max Beerbohm.

Selected poems, prose fiction, plays, lectures and essays, and letters. With contemporary photographs and illustrations.

The graded readers in this series aim to provide learners of English with a pleasurable reading experience. The series, which should appeal to a wide age range, exposes students to a variety of styles and kinds of English and the books contain puzzles and exercises based on the text.

One of a series designed as an introduction to literature. It is graded into six levels, and each book contains an introduction and exercises. It is designed for students of English as a foreign or as a second language, and for reluctant readers. This book contains two stories by Oscar Wilde.

Reprint. Originally published: New York: Random House, [1969]

"I have the simplest tastes," remarked Oscar Wilde. "I am always satisfied with the best." In this superlative collection of quotations by the great Irish playwright and wit, readers will find the very best of Wilde's scintillating comments on art, human nature, morals, society, politics, history, and numerous other subjects. Epigrams, aphorisms, and other bon mots gleaned from Wilde's enduringly popular plays, essays, and conversation offer amusing, thought-provoking observations that resonate with truth and profundity beneath their comic surface.Widely acknowledged as the most brilliant talker of his age, Wilde once explained to André Gide, "I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works." This fine collection of nearly 400 quotes, organized by category, contains quotations from both his works and his conversation, including gems from his personal life with which even devotees may be unfamiliar. The result is a splendid introduction to Wilde's mind and personality, embodied in a feast of the English language's most brilliant and perceptive witticisms.

This Vintage edition of The Plays of Oscar Wilde contains the plays that made Wilde one of the most important dramatists of his time, including The Importance of Being Earnest, one of the great works of modern literature. Oscar Wilde's plays demonstrate once again why their author must be seen as both an inaugurator and a master of modernism. In his best work, the subversive insights embedded in his wit continue to challenge our common assumptions. Wilde's ability to unsettle and startle us anew with his radical vision of the artifice inherent in the self's construction makes him our contemporary. This edition is introduced by John Lahr, author of Prick Up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton. The plays included are Lady Windermere's Fan, Salome, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest.

Einem Fischer geht eine wunderschöne Meerjungfrau ins Netz. Er verliebt sich in sie und will sie heiraten. Doch der Preis dafür ist seine Seele. Ist seine Liebe wirklich so groß, dass er ohne Seele leben kann?

Though best known for his drama and fiction, Oscar Wilde was also a pioneering critic. He introduced the idea that criticism was an act of creation, not just appraisal. Wilde transformed the genre by extending its ambit beyond art to include society itself, all while injecting it with his trademark wit and style.

Between 1892 and 1895, Oscar Wilde's drawing-room comedies Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest made his name as a playwright who fearlessly mocked the hypocrisy and snobbery of Victorian society and took gleeful delight in appearing to trivialize its most sacred institutions. With its premiere on Valentine's Day 1895, The Importance of Being Earnest – a hilarious comedy of mistaken identities and coruscating language – was a phenomenal success, but its run was cut short prematurely by Wilde's court case and subsequent incarceration, and the play was not published until 1899, after Wilde had been released from prison. Also including the powerful Salome, originally written in French and banned by the British censor, this collection displays Wilde at his provocative and witty best, and demonstrates why he was a playwright who delighted audiences and infuriated critics in equal measure.

A collection of works by Wilde, describing his thoughts on literature and social principles. It includes "The Soul of Man", a manifesto on Individualism, and "De Profundis", an attempt at self-analysis. Also two letters on prison injustices, and "The Ballad of Reading Gaol".

This selection includes five of Wilde's wittiest and best-known plays of which the title (play) "The Importance ..." is his most famous

An exceptionally handsome, large-format gift edition of timeless fairy tales by Oscar Wilde. Spectacular full-color paintings illustrate six of Wilde's best-loved stories, including "The Happy Prince", "The Nightingale and the Rose", and "The Selfish Giant". Full-color illustrations.

Playwright, novelist, essayist, poet and epigrammatist, Oscar Wilde was Ireland's greatest and most inspired wit. Renowned equally for his espousal of aestheticism and art for art's sake, he became notorious for his affairs with Lord Alfred Douglas and others. Today he is remembered for the brilliance of his writing, and this complete edition of his works contains all his plays, his only novel, The Portrait of Dorian Gray, as well as his essays, poems and stories for children, The Happy Prince and Other Tales, and his more worldly stories for adults, Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories. The juxtaposition of his jeux d'esprits such as The Soul of Man under Socialism and The Portrait of Mr. W.H. contrast sharply with The Ballad of Reading Gaol and De Profundis, while Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest still enchant readers and theatre audiences today.

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Oscar Wilde's well-turned phrases and spontaneous insults still cause much amusement and admiration. This book contains quotes most of which are taken from Wilde's plays, novels and essays.

. Nice condition, BBC Homes & Antiques magazine

More information to be announced soon on this forthcoming title from Penguin USA.

Includes The Portrait of Mr W H, Wilde's defence of Dorian Gray, reviews, and the writings from Intentions (1891): The Decay of Lying, Pen, Pencil, Poison, and The Critic as Artist. This volume presents Wilde as a deep and serious reader of literature and philosophy, and an eloquent thinker about society and art. schovat popis

This Penguin collection contains Oscar Wilde's five wittiest and best known plays. He himself described Lady Windermere's Fan his first great stage success, as 'one of those modern drawing-room plays with pink lampshades'. Its combination of polished social drama and corruscatingly with dialogue was repeated in A Woman of No Importance and An Ideal Husband both of which were enthusiastically received by the public but savaged, much to Wilde's delight, by affronted critics. His greatest play, The Importance of Being Earnest was first produced in 1895. Wilde wrote of it : 'It is exquisitely trivial, a delicate bubblue of fancy, and it has its philosophy... that we should treat all the trivial things of life seriously, and all the serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality.'This volume also includes Lord Alfred Douglas's translation of Salomé a short drama which Wilde wrote in French.

Двуезични разкази на английски и български език.Тази книга на издателство "Веси" е предназначена за читатели, които са начинаещи в обучението си по английски език.Тук читателят може да се запознае с английския текст в оригинал, без адаптации, като на нечетните страници е преводът на български. Той е направен с цел максимална точност спрямо оригинала на четната страница.

This volume features the works of Oscar Wilde, an influential Irish writer and poet. His only novel, a classic of gothic horror fiction, follows Dorian Gray, a young man whose beauty captivates artist Basil Hallward. Basil becomes infatuated with Dorian, believing his beauty inspires a new artistic vision. Upon meeting Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian is seduced by Henry's hedonistic worldview, which prioritizes beauty and sensory fulfillment. Fearing the loss of his youth, Dorian wishes to sell his soul so that his portrait ages instead of him. This wish leads him into a life of debauchery, with the portrait reflecting the toll of his sins. The collection also includes Wilde's short stories and plays, showcasing his storytelling prowess and stylistic range. Notable selections are "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime," "The Canterville Ghost," and "The Importance of Being Earnest," which humorously critiques Victorian society through characters who adopt false identities. Additionally, "De Profundis," a letter written during Wilde's imprisonment, expresses his disillusionment with Lord Alfred Douglas. "The Ballad of Reading Gaol," composed after his release, memorializes a fellow inmate facing execution. Wilde believed art should guide life by pursuing beauty, emphasizing the importance of the soul and individual self-understanding.

Contains De Profundis, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, The Soul of Man under Socialism, The Decay of Lying and The Critic as Artist.

The story of a man who sells his soul to ensure that he will remain young and handsome while his painted portrait ages instead.

Classic / British English Sir Robert Chiltern is a successful politician and an honest man. He is an ideal husband for the beautiful and serious Lady Chiltern. But somebody knows a dangerous secret about Sir Robert. Can Sir Robert's charming Society friends save his job and his marriage? This Penguin Reader play is written for acting -- making English come alive.

More than 1,000 ripostes, paradoxes, wisecracks: "Work is the curse of the drinking classes," "I can resist everything except temptation," etc.

Featuring a selection of Oscar Wilde's finest poetry, this collection includes the standout piece "My Voice." It showcases the wit and beauty characteristic of Wilde's work, highlighting his significance as a prominent poet of the nineteenth century. This compilation is a celebration of his lyrical talent and enduring influence in the literary world.

Oscar Wilde, the witty Irishman, became a celebrity in Victorian London's salons, where his clever remarks and performances inspired his society comedies. A self-identified socialist, he lived extravagantly and openly embraced his sexuality. Ultimately, he faced a scandalous trial for homosexuality, leading to his artistic and social ruin. His famous quotes are compiled here.

Spellbound before his own portrait, Dorian Gray utters a fateful wish. In exchange for eternal youth he gives his soul, to be corrupted by the malign influence of his mentor, the aesthete and hedonist Lord Henry Wotton.

Set in Padua, this five-act tragedy follows Guido, a young man grappling with his lineage and the murder of his father by the Duke of Padua. Initially driven by revenge, Guido's feelings shift when he falls in love with Beatrice, the Duchess. The narrative unfolds with themes of betrayal and love, culminating in a tragic misunderstanding. Although written for actress Mary Anderson, the play has rarely been performed and is often overshadowed by Wilde's more celebrated works. Critics note its melodramatic tone and Shakespearean influences, yet some appreciate its artistic merit.

Oscar Wilde, best known for his acerbic, witty plays and urbane nonfiction, was also a master of the fairy tale. This volume brings together all of Wilde's tales from his two collections--"The Happy Prince" and "The House of Pomegranates"--and retains the evocative illustrations done for the original editions.

Oscar Wilde, glamorous and notorious, more famous as a playwright or prisoner than as a poet, invites readers of his verse to meet an unknown and intimate figure.

Presents Wilde's well-known "The Selfish Giant," "The Nightingale and the Rose," "The Devoted Friend," "The Happy Prince," "The Remarkable Rocket," and "The Young King."

Fairy tales, ghost stories, detective fiction and comedies of manners - the stories collected in this volume made Oscar Wilde's name as a writer of fiction, showing breathtaking dexterity in a wide range of literary styles. Victorian moral justice is comically inverted in 'Lord Arthur Savile's Crime' and 'The Canterville Ghost', and society's materialism comes under sharp, humorous criticism in 'The Model Millionaire', while 'The Happy Prince' and 'The Nightingale and the Rose' are hauntingly melancholic in their magical evocations of selfless love. These small masterpieces convey the brilliance of Wilde's vision, exploring complex moral issues through an elegant juxtaposition of wit and sentiment.

Oscar Wilde is one of the most quotable of authors, as this collection of extracts from his prose clearly demonstrates. It also illustrates the breadth of interest, from the delightfully comic to the profoundly serious, of this supremely talented but ultimately tragic figure.

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; 'The Star Child', who suffered bitter trials when he rejected his parents. . . . Often whimsical and sometimes sad, they all shine with poetry and magic.

Oscar Wilde is best remembered for his longer works, his criticism and journalism, and his eventful life. But nothing distills his brilliance like his short fiction. Published here with facing-page annotations and an informative introduction by Nicholas Frankel, the stories pulse with Wilde's trademark wit, sharp social critique, and tragic love.

'Happy Prince' brings the story of a small swallow that, interrupting their journey toward the sun, decides to help a Prince to bring the happiness to your kingdom.'The Nightingale and The Rose', tells reader about a bird singer that believes much more of love than a boy.

Letters to the Sphinx contains five main sections: the first is a typically characterful, cantankerous and yet appreciative essay of explanation by Oscar Wilde's literary executor and close friend, Robert Ross. Then follow three major essays of reminiscence by the Sphinx herself, the book's compiler, Ada Leverson, also a dear friend of Wilde: The Importance of Being Oscar gives an iconically witty introduction to how Wilde operated and who he was; The Last First Night gives an elegiac impression of the atmosphere Wilde generated at the zenith of his career; and, finally, Afterwards is a sombrely quiet reflection on Wilde's trials and imprisonment, his troubles, as he called them. Finally it becomes Wilde's turn to speak. In thirty letters, letter-excerpts and telegrams his nature is impressed upon us. From his highest manner which surprisingly lacked stiffness, and in his lowest spirits which were plainly humble, his facility with and mastery of words and epigram are clearly evident, providing a compelling portrait of a personality which was, as Ross claims, 'unique in English literature'. This slender volume was originally published as a limited edition in 1930 and has remained unavailable, except in the rare book market, ever since.

This riverrun edition includes the hitherto uncollected works by one of the twentieth century's most celebrated writers.

A thrillingly spooky tale based upon the story by Oscar Wilde for children growing in reading confidence and ability. The Canterville Ghost has been scaring away new residents in his castle for 500 years, but when the Otis family move in it becomes clear they are just as determined to make him leave. But who will succeed?

Oscar Wilde is arguably the most quoted man in history. He arrived in New York with nothing to declare but his genius in 1882. On his return to England he had London at his feet. In 1895 he was charged and convicted of homosexual activities. He was born in Dublin in October 1854 and died a broken man in exile in Paris on 30th November 1900. He always said his memory would live on.The importance of being well quoted. The quotes cover Wilde's life from when he was a man sitting on his throne to when he went into the gutter.Full of dazzling with from his plays, stories, poems, essays and letters. For business and everyday life, "nothing succeeds like excess". Quote your genius. - the ForewordNB: Incorrectly there is no apostrophe in the word 'Worlds' [sic] in the title so the book is catalogued accordingly.

Presents nine fairy tales by the noted 19th-century Irish author, including "The Selfish Giant," "The Happy Prince," and "The Birthday of the Infanta."

Works of Wilde’s annus mirabilis of 1891 in one volume, with an introduction by renowned British playwright. The Soul of Man Under Socialism draw on works from a single miraculous year in which Oscar Wilde published the larger part of his greatest works in prose—the year he came into maturity as an artist. Before the end of 1891, he had written the first of his phenomenally successful plays and met the young man who would win his heart, beginning the love affair that would lead to imprisonment and public infamy. In a witty introduction, playwright, novelist and Wilde scholar Neil Bartlett explains what made this point in the writer’s life central to his genius and why Wilde remains a provocative and radical figure to this day. Included here are the entirety of Wilde’s foray into political philosophy, The Soul of Man Under Socialism; the complete essay collection Intentions; selections from The Portrait of Dorian Gray as well as its paradoxical and scandalous preface; and some of Wilde’s greatest fictions for children. Each selection is accompanied by stimulating and enlightening annotations. A delight for fans of Oscar Wilde, In Praise of Disobedience will revitalize an often misunderstood legacy.

‘The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility.’ Is lying simply an uncomfortable truth about life or something to be celebrated? In these dazzlingly witty pages we find deceptions of all kinds. From false names to imaginary friends to fictitious engagements, Wilde proves himself to be a connoisseur of creativity and argues that lying may be an art form in itself. Selected from The Importance of Being Earnest, The Decay of Lying and The Picture of Dorian Gray VINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS. A series of short books by the world’s greatest writers on the experiences that make us human Also in the Vintage Minis series: Murder by Arthur Conan Doyle Power by William Shakespeare Jealousy by Marcel Proust Ghosts by M. R. James

The short story is one of the most skilled and entertaining of literary forms. This marvellous collection rangers over nearly five thousand years and includes stories from countries all round the world. Many of the great classical authors are included such as Dickens, Hardy, Balzac, Zola, de Maupassant, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Hawthorne, O. Henry and Poe. Other writers equally worthy of fame, but little known outside their own countries, have been specially translater for this volume. The stories have been arranged under their country of origin and each section is introduced by a compact survey of the development of the short story within that country. Every story is preceded by a useful biographical note on the author. Altogether, 178 different tales have been gathered here, each among the best of its kind. Tragic, comic, romantic or macabre, they are guaranteed to bring hours of pleasure to every reader.

Written in the late 1800's, " An Ideal Husband " and " A Woman of No Importance " are peppered with the unmistakable wit and satire that made Oscar Wilde one of the most famous literary figures of his era. Now available together for the first time in this unique Signet Classic edition, both plays-centered on characters hiding terrible, scandalous secrets-offer dark foreshadowing of the dramatic course Wilde's own life was to take.

This box is filled up with stories about the bittersweetness of love: about all-encompassing love but also broken hearts, vanity and evil, thoughtfulness and disappointment. Four short stories written by some of our most beloved authors of all time.

The treasured fairy tales of Oscar Wilde in a stunning gift edition featuring exquisite illustrations by the celebrated artist Philippe Jullian with an afterword by Wilde's son, Vyvyan Holland.

Although Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) created a wide range of poetry, essays, and fairy tales (and one novel) in his brief, tragic life, he is perhaps best known as a dramatist. His witty, clever drama, populated by brilliant talkers skilled in the art of riposte and paradox, are still staples of the theatrical repertoire. An Ideal Husband revolves around a blackmail scheme that forces a married couple to reexamine their moral standards — providing, along the way, a wry commentary on the rarity of politicians who can claim to be ethically pure. A supporting cast of young lovers, society matrons, an overbearing father, and a formidable femme fatale continually exchange sparkling repartee, keeping the play moving at a lively pace. ike most of Wilde's plays, this scintillating drawing-room comedy is wise, well-constructed, and deeply satisfying. An instant success at its 1895 debut, the play continues to delight audiences over one hundred years later. An Ideal Husband is a must-read for Wilde fans, students of English literature, and anyone delighted by wit, urbanity, and timeless sophistication.

"I must die as I lived, beyond my means." Arguably the most quoted man in history, and certainly in his day, this enormous miniature collection is filled with Oscar Wildes' most notorious and witty sayings. Organized into five neat sections useful for any situation, this book is perfect for either enjoying in small bites or devouring in one sitting. Featuring a biography, quotes, a poem and short story, it is a must have for Wilde lovers and novices alike.

Summary: Nine tales include "The Remarkable Rocket, " "The Nightingale and the Rose, " and "The Selfish Giant."

In The Decay of Lying Oscar Wilde uses his decadent ideology in an attempt to reverse and therefore reject his audiences' 'normal' conceptualizations of nature, art and morality. Wilde's views of life and art are illustrated through the use of Platonic dialogue where the character Vivian takes on the persona of Wilde. Wilde's goal is to subvert the norm by reversing its values. Wilde suggests to us that society is wrong, not him. Calling on diverse examples – from Ancient Greek sculpture to contemporary paintings – Oscar Wilde’s brilliant essay creates a witty, paradoxical world in which the only Art worth loving is that built on complete untruths.