Oscar Wilde: The Story of an Unhappy Friendship
Gelesen von Rob Marland
Robert Sherard
Robert Sherard was Oscar Wilde's friend of 20 years and first biographer. The Story of an Unhappy Friendship was the first of his four biographies of the Irish playwright and wit. - Summary by Rob Board (4 hr 2 min)
Chapters
Bewertungen
Boastful, gushing, condemning and ultimately heartbreakin
kerriganm
This book does not discuss Wilde's works, but his day-to-day life, written by someone with a rare front-row view. I am guessing that your opinion of the author will undergo many changes as you listen to this, as mine did. At first he seems a boastful name dropper (but what incredible names he is in a position to drop!). Then a joyous sycophant. A jealous friend conveniently dumped when Wilde's fame is ascendant. At the end, you can hardly doubt his claim to be Wilde's truest, most loyal friend. We nowadays think of Wilde's self-indulgence and homosexuality as spices that make his works and life have a delicately forbidden-fruit flavor (given society's laws, written and unwritten, at the time). What I had not realized was just how completely devastating society's ultimate condemnation of him turned out to be. An up-and-down, entertaining, enlightening, heart-wrenching read.
Oscar Wilde
TheBookworm
The saddest part of O.W.'s fall was how those who had fawned over him dropped him like a hot brick after his legal troubles. Those who think that modern society is in decline might consider how far we have come in our willingness to tolerate (not the right word really) others' differences. Many thanks to reader Rob Board for his performance! TheBookworm (Manchester, UK)
EXCELLENT
LISTENED FROM START TO FINISH IN ONE STAGE. VERY GOOD NARRATIVE
great story
L
great reader as well