Product Description

'I have nothing to declare', Wilde once told an American customs official, 'except my genius'. A socialite, a wit, a man who flaunted convention and was unafraid to shock, Oscar Wilde was a great writer and a great man. This new collection of wit and wisdom demonstrates the brilliance of his vision, the audacity of his style. Such is the scope of the material, it brings to life the Wilde of great feeling as well as the Wilde of great art.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #166308 in Books
• Published on: 1997-10-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

About the Author
OSCAR WILDE was born in Dublin in 1854. One of the greatest British writers ever, he wrote both novels and plays, including The Picture of Dorian Gray, De Profundis (both of which are available in Penguin Classics) and The Importance of Being Earnest. He died in Paris in 1900.

Customer Reviews

Short but sweet (if occasionally very sharp)
Taken out of context Wilde's epigrams are very amusing, but this book is best viewed as a starting point, leading readers hopefully to go on to read Wilde's plays from which most of the quotes are culled. If read in large quantities they can become tiresome but if you're searching for a rude put-down, look no further.

Stephen Fry's introduction was interesting but otherwise this edition is but Penguin's attempt to make money using Wilde's name
Let me start by saying that I am a massive Wilde fan and I have read his complete works. I wouldn't buy this book but a friend gave it to me and I read it on the train yesterday.

I believe this book has been very badly -read unethically- marketed. It is a compilation of Wilde's aphorisms and quotes made by Alastair Rolfe. Rolfe's name is not mentioned on the cover or back cover but it is presented as if it was Wilde's work.

The only thing that sets it apart and makes it worth owning is the short introduction by Stephen Fry. Fry discusses his take on Wilde and the road that lead him to act the part of Wilde on what was probably the most important role of his career. It is an interesting little introduction that would worth being mentioned on the cover of the book as Fry analyses the complicated reception of Wilde in England. I was happy to read that part.

As for the main book: Wilde had an exceptional ability to turn on a phrase and his aphorisms are always a blast to read. But the penguin edition offers nothing new and exciting in collecting them. Even if you are not familiar with the work of Wilde you probably know most of the quotations anyway and I disagree with penguin's choice to cut and paste bits and pieces of an author's work and then sell it under the author's name without any clear note that this is a heavily abridged and random collage of the author's original work. They used the same technique on their journey's collection and I find it unethical. They exploit the fame of the original authors and present something so abridged, simplified and digestible that it has no value.

Oscar Wilde might have authored these aphorisms but this book has not been compiled by him. Penguin exploits here the name of Wilde and potentially obscures his reception. It will be easy for someone who has not read anything by Wilde to say: oh, yes, Oscar Wilde I have read his: Nothing... except my genius. Apart from the introduction though, you will have gained nothing from this book that you couldn't get from surfing the net for Wilde's quotations. It is all very well to do that -it makes for an easy train read- but make sure it is clear on the marketing material. The friend that bought me this book was actually on the misconception that she was giving me a book written by Wilde.

If you want to read book actually written by Oscar Wilde read his wonderfully deep children stories or his plays or the portrait of Dorian Gray or anything that has been written, compiled and presented by Wilde himself.