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- Richard Ellmann James Joyce Review
- The late Richard Ellmann gives us many wonderful things in his new biography of Wilde. The research is exhaustive and the writing, often condensing to epigram, is elegant. Most modern academic biographies are torture chambers for their subjects, but Ellmann approaches Wilde with exquisite literary tact.
- Buy a cheap copy of Oscar Wilde book by Richard Ellmann. Richard Ellmann capped an illustrious career in biography (his James Joyce is considered one of the masterpieces of the 20th century) with this life of Oscar Wilde. Free shipping over $10.
- Oct 27, 2013 Richard Ellmann capped an illustrious career in biography (his James Joyce is considered one of the masterpieces of the 20th century) with this life of Oscar Wilde, which won both the National Book Critics Circle Award and Pulitzer Prize on its original publication in 1988. Ellmann's account of Wilde.
- Richard Ellmann’s biography has no subtitle and needs none.Oscar Wilde presents—without limitation or special advocacy—the whole of the artist. Exhaustively researched, the book nevertheless.
Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellmann is a very detailed biography which brings out Wilde's enormous generosity and his boundless intellect. Wilde lived a life of tremendous fame I finally finished it and although it took me a year to read it, I finally did it.
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The biography sensitive to the tragic pattern of the story of a great subject: Oscar Wilde - psychologically and sexually complicated, enormously quotable, central to an. alluring cultural world and someone whose life assumed an unbearably dramatic shape.
Published November 5th 1988 by Vintage (first published 1987)
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Oscar Wilde Richard Ellmann Download Full
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Jul 26, 2013MJ Nicholls rated it it was amazing · review of another edition Shelves: sassysassenachs, non-fiction, bifographies, tortured-artists, merkins
Wilde had to live his life twice over, first in slow motion, then at top speed. During the first period he was a scapegrace, during the second a scapegoat. Richard Ellmann’s superlative bio ranks alongside the finest in the genre, with his earlier James Joyce volume already firmly in the pantheon. From Wilde’s unhumble beginnings as the son of two reputable writers, to his college days in the thrall of Ruskin and Pater, to his flowerings as a poet and spokesman for aestheticism, Ellmann presents...more
Feb 15, 2008David rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
It seems obvious that this would get a 5-star review. The wit and genius of Oscar Wilde. A scandalous life. The proven track record of Ellmann. What's not to love?
Answer - nothing. Ellmann doesn't make a single misstep in this astonishing biography. Imagine the challenges facing a Wilde biographer: the contradictions of an outrageous, larger-than-life subject whose brittle public persona masked his inner torments; Wilde's enormous drive, which led to success and acclaim, but also set in motion h...more
Answer - nothing. Ellmann doesn't make a single misstep in this astonishing biography. Imagine the challenges facing a Wilde biographer: the contradictions of an outrageous, larger-than-life subject whose brittle public persona masked his inner torments; Wilde's enormous drive, which led to success and acclaim, but also set in motion h...more
Jul 18, 2010Bruce rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This is a dense and detailed biography. I enjoyed it even if it was slow going. The more one read, the more enchanting the work became, probably because Wilde himself is so much larger than life. From the beginning he was outrageous and deliberately cultivated such a persona. And from the beginning self-destructive tendencies were apparent; he seemed always to be walking on the edge of a precipice, the question being when and how he would tumble. His personality was in some ways like that of Zor...more
Jul 29, 2018Lord Beardsley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Better Book Title: 'Dude, you really need to break up with that asshole.'
I've been an Oscar Wilde fan for many decades now, but I was always afraid to read this because it's THE DEFINITIVE BIG GIANT SCARY BIOGRAPHY on him. These kind of books always intimidate me, and until very recently I don't think I had the attention span it takes to take this one on. However, now that the world is spinning down a black hole of dystopian carnage, this book served as a welcome distraction! Instead of checking...more
I've been an Oscar Wilde fan for many decades now, but I was always afraid to read this because it's THE DEFINITIVE BIG GIANT SCARY BIOGRAPHY on him. These kind of books always intimidate me, and until very recently I don't think I had the attention span it takes to take this one on. However, now that the world is spinning down a black hole of dystopian carnage, this book served as a welcome distraction! Instead of checking...more
I am not, as I once claimed, Oscar Wilde. I lost the green coat—the one I wore to America, with tufts of fur falling out of the collar, with shapely cuffs. I lost the books (their dedications), shoes (the tipped ones, the ones you lace right up to your britches), and the shape of my wife’s mouth when she said it, when she called my name, even that, even when I didn’t come.
And because I am not Oscar Wilde, because someone’s body is thinning in the dirt, I can still say this. Say, through this blu...more
And because I am not Oscar Wilde, because someone’s body is thinning in the dirt, I can still say this. Say, through this blu...more
Wilde at his wildest and mildest
After reading this book, I cannot help but review Oscar Wilde, the man and his life, as if it were a work of art in itself, as much as I can this biography of Wilde as depicted by Richard Ellmann. Wilde, as much as any historical figure, certainly as much as any creative figure, speaks loudly as an artifact of the age he embodied and from which he was consumed and discarded and as a creative figure whose own life was arguably a greater work of art than anything he...more
Oct 09, 2017Rachel Skye rated it liked itAfter reading this book, I cannot help but review Oscar Wilde, the man and his life, as if it were a work of art in itself, as much as I can this biography of Wilde as depicted by Richard Ellmann. Wilde, as much as any historical figure, certainly as much as any creative figure, speaks loudly as an artifact of the age he embodied and from which he was consumed and discarded and as a creative figure whose own life was arguably a greater work of art than anything he...more
Shelves: grad-school, bios-and-memoirs, 2017-challenge
A pretty good bio on Wilde. I don't know an insane amount on Wilde's personal life, so I can't state how accurate it is in regards to timeline, but I am going to assume that it is pretty accurate considering his substantial research.
WAS LONG BUT LIKE WHAT BIO ISNT.
WAS LONG BUT LIKE WHAT BIO ISNT.
This book is a haunting and beautiful biography of the don of the Aesthetic Movement. It traces his life from his early days as the son of a prominent physician father and an eccentric socialite mother (Sperenza) to his competition with Bram Stoker for the hand of Frances Balcombe, to his early homosexual experiments and final death amod disgrace and anonymity in the exile of France.
Richard Ellmann wields his pen with alacrity, grace, and an intense sympathy for his subject that may leave you in...more
Richard Ellmann wields his pen with alacrity, grace, and an intense sympathy for his subject that may leave you in...more
Aug 10, 2008Pesh rated it really liked it
this is one of my dearest treasures for the year 2008.what i have is actually a hardcover, picked at my 'used books' store for the price of my normal dinner at my favourite 'fast foods'. i couldnt believe it!!
it's a great story about a great person.
here is the most important thing about it: it is written with a subjective, condemning tone. and i felt the author should have surpassed the shadows of his subject's sexuality and other personality weaknesses, to simply objectively tell us the story!...more
it's a great story about a great person.
here is the most important thing about it: it is written with a subjective, condemning tone. and i felt the author should have surpassed the shadows of his subject's sexuality and other personality weaknesses, to simply objectively tell us the story!...more
Sep 01, 2019Corey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Richard Ellmann's James Joyce is the greatest literary biography I've read. His Yeats bio is fine, also. And so is this. Though I knew the outlines of the story I was unprepared for how wild, how strange, and how tragic Wilde was. Ellmann's closing epilogue almost brought a tear to my eye.
Apr 01, 2013Suzanne Stroh rated it liked it Shelves: biography-20th-c, gay-literary-history, informs-tabou
Lady Wilde almost runs away with the first half of this dense, beautifully written biography that won Ellmann a Pulitzer prize.
I agree with reviewers who commented that perhaps there was a bit too much detail for entry-level readers. The sheer competency of this treatment of Oscar Wilde's brilliant, sad and troubled life means that we may never get the kind of definitive work I'd like.
Ellmann, writing to midcentury literary tastes, treats Wilde's sexuality too obliquely for young audiences toda...more
I agree with reviewers who commented that perhaps there was a bit too much detail for entry-level readers. The sheer competency of this treatment of Oscar Wilde's brilliant, sad and troubled life means that we may never get the kind of definitive work I'd like.
Ellmann, writing to midcentury literary tastes, treats Wilde's sexuality too obliquely for young audiences toda...more
Feb 03, 2012Vijeta rated it it was amazing
I finally finished it and although it took me a year to read it, I finally did it. Now, this comment is representative of the fact that it is slow-going, but that mustn't deter any future readers and fans of Oscar Wilde. It took me so long because I was reading a hard copy and these days I find Ebooks much easier to navigate. Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellmann is a very detailed biography which brings out Wilde's enormous generosity and his boundless intellect. Wilde lived a life of tremendous fame...more
Jul 09, 2008Brian rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Richard Ellman won the Pulitzer for his work on Oscar Wilde, and with good reason: it's not only the definitive look at the Irish poet, playwright, critic, and martyr, but it's also a ripping good read. Wilde was a movie star in a time before movies, a tabloid staple, and a constant bestseller, and Ellmann makes him -- and his work -- come alive.
Following Wilde's rise to literary and theatrical fame, a series of colossally bad decisions lead to his imprisonment and disgrace -- another ending we...more
Following Wilde's rise to literary and theatrical fame, a series of colossally bad decisions lead to his imprisonment and disgrace -- another ending we...more
Dec 13, 2009David Hill rated it liked it · review of another edition
Lately it seems I'm never happy with the length and level of detail of biographies. This one was a bit too long and detailed for me. I was curious about Wilde, but not to the degree that I wanted to read the letters he wrote his mother. I think I'd have enjoyed it more at 400 pages than 600. But this quibble is more about me than the book.
I didn't know much about Wilde. I hadn't read any of his poems and wasn't familiar with his plays and his other work. I probably learned what I knew about him...more
I didn't know much about Wilde. I hadn't read any of his poems and wasn't familiar with his plays and his other work. I probably learned what I knew about him...more
Aug 31, 2010Sonia rated it liked it
Honestly this book was mostly just 'ok' for me, but I'm giving it a slightly higher rating because I think Ellman deserves it.
I picked this up thinking it was going to be filled with super tawdry details of Wilde's life, but mostly it was literary criticism paralleled by events that occurred during the writing of each of his works.
So it was okay. I wish it would have been a little more Wilde and a little less Wilde's contribution to literature.
I picked this up thinking it was going to be filled with super tawdry details of Wilde's life, but mostly it was literary criticism paralleled by events that occurred during the writing of each of his works.
So it was okay. I wish it would have been a little more Wilde and a little less Wilde's contribution to literature.
Jun 12, 2014Walter Spence rated it really liked it
Jul 08, 2014Kaethe Douglas rated it it was amazing
I read it and I thought it was the best biography of all time. It helps that I love Wilde I guess.
We all wear a mask, each person kills the thing they love some with a word some by the sword. Truth is love.
This biography I started in my teens and got distracted. I found it too detailed and complex back then. My view of Wilde as a youth was one of pop idolism. Having picked him for my A level English literature coursework my teachers were worried as no one had studied Oscar Wilde in their classes before. It being the 1990s and despite 100 years on from Wildes time homosexuality was still tab...more
This biography I started in my teens and got distracted. I found it too detailed and complex back then. My view of Wilde as a youth was one of pop idolism. Having picked him for my A level English literature coursework my teachers were worried as no one had studied Oscar Wilde in their classes before. It being the 1990s and despite 100 years on from Wildes time homosexuality was still tab...more
Dec 27, 2018Rahul Adusumilli rated it really liked it
Much of my moral obliquity is due to the fact that my father would not allow me to become a Catholic. The artistic side of the Church and the fragrance of its teaching would have cured my degeneracies.
Tell me dear reader, is there any boat you wish you'd gotten on that would've taken you far away from the shores of sin you presently lay upon?
English law had misdone him by punishment, and English society finished him off by ostracism.
Two writers whose graves I wish to visit- Oscar Wilde and...more
Tell me dear reader, is there any boat you wish you'd gotten on that would've taken you far away from the shores of sin you presently lay upon?
English law had misdone him by punishment, and English society finished him off by ostracism.
Two writers whose graves I wish to visit- Oscar Wilde and...more
Brilliant book. Ellmann has organized his material beautifully.
Aug 06, 2017Mazouza Sha'ban rated it it was amazing
A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her.
I am glad I read this, but I do not think it is for everyone. If you have a specific interest in Oscar or art history/philosophy, read it. It is dense and full of academic details and footnotes. I don’t think the casual reader would enjoy it as much as a student of the subjects.
Oscar Wilde Richard Ellmann Download Pc
May 30, 2015Magill rated it really liked it
A 4 for the level of research but probably a 3 in overall enjoyment, this is a densely written and researched book, at times a bit overwhelming. Having read Wilde's stories and plays (skipping the poetry), I was aware of the broad outlines of his life but not much more (besides having stayed in a charming little hotel in Halifax, NS, where he had once stayed).
It was difficult to keep track of the many friends and aquaintances as they appeared and reappeared through the book, but with such a busy...more
It was difficult to keep track of the many friends and aquaintances as they appeared and reappeared through the book, but with such a busy...more
Richard Ellman's fascinating biography follows Wilde from his beginnings as a brilliant student to his tragic end, when he haunted European locales that had delighted him in better times like a living ghost. The early part of the book is the least interesting. Wilde was one of the first useless celebrities-figures who gain notoriety simply because something odd or appealing about them keeps them in the public eye apart from any actual talent (although Wilde was, by all accounts, an excellent spe...more
Jul 04, 2016Theresa Leone Davidson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
A wonderful biography of Wilde's life and everything that was happening to him while he wrote his many great works, like The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest, as well as his short stories, like my favorite, The Happy Prince. I knew some facts surrounding his arrest and imprisonment before reading this but didn't know a lot, like how it started with his libel suit against his lover's father, the Marquess of Queensberry, so that was of particular interest, as was Wilde's...more
The unreadable in pursuit of the dislikeable.
Turgid prose that doesn't know when to stop, at times awkward construction, and far too little about the effect this ghastly man had on his wife and children. One has to feel sorry for OW but if ever a man was author of his own downfall, he was the man. I know things now about the late nineteenth century that I wish I didn't. In fact, I wish I hadn't read this book at all.
Turgid prose that doesn't know when to stop, at times awkward construction, and far too little about the effect this ghastly man had on his wife and children. One has to feel sorry for OW but if ever a man was author of his own downfall, he was the man. I know things now about the late nineteenth century that I wish I didn't. In fact, I wish I hadn't read this book at all.
No doubt that Oscar Wilde was a tortured genius, but he was also a narcissist and egotist, and in the end that may have contributed to his spectacular downfall. Well, that and Lord Alfred Douglas. This book is sympathetic to Wilde without pandering or making him to be grossly misunderstood. Worthwhile.
Oct 13, 2012Nathan 'N.R.' Gaddis marked it as to-read
A rather odd inscription on the title page:
'9/19/94
To Bill,
This is the
Pulitzer Prize
winning book
on which Robert
worked.
With warmest
best wishes
Sheila & Bill
Ellmann'
A Robert Ellmann is noted on the acknowledgement page. Is anyone familiar with the Ellmann family?
'9/19/94
To Bill,
This is the
Pulitzer Prize
winning book
on which Robert
worked.
With warmest
best wishes
Sheila & Bill
Ellmann'
A Robert Ellmann is noted on the acknowledgement page. Is anyone familiar with the Ellmann family?
I added this book to my 'To Read' list in 2009 and still haven't gotten to it. It won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography and is about the man I most love to quote.
Guess I'd better get on with it.
Guess I'd better get on with it.
A meticulously researched book, a true lover of Wilde. A hard read at times because it seems that you must be very familiar with Wilde's work, even more obscure pieces, and his contemporaries. But he writes about the tragedy of Wilde's unjust imprisonment with great sensitivity.
Oscar Wilde Richard Ellmann Download
| topics | posts | views | last activity |
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| Books2Movies Club:Oscar Wilde - book and movie | 5 | 21 | Oct 09, 2016 06:52AM |
| Huntsville-Madiso...:Staff Pick - Oscar Wilde | 1 | 5 | Dec 20, 2012 07:51PM |
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Richard David Ellmann was a prominent American literary critic and biographer of the Irish writers James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and William Butler Yeats. Ellmann's James Joyce (1959), for which he won the National Book Award in 1960, is considered one of the most acclaimed literary biographies of the 20th century and the 1982 revised edition of the work was similarly recognised with the award of the...more
“Wilde had to live his life twice over, first in slow motion, then at top speed. During the first period he was a scapegrace, during the second a scapegoat. For the three and a half years he lived after his release from prison, he saw pass before him, mostly in dumb show, a multitude of people he had known earlier, who evaded him.” — 0 likes
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