Bosie: A Biography of Lord Alfred Douglas

Having read The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde by Joseph Pearce, I decided that it would be interesting to know more about the person who is made out to be the villain in Oscar Wilde's downfall. Bosie by Douglas Murray is a detailed book chronicling the life of Lord Alfred Douglas. It is a detailed account of a man hounded by family traits, his own desires, repentence, regrets and sad ending. It really is unfair to blame Alfred Douglas for Wilde's downfall. Wilde, if anything, was self destructive and not only destroyed himself, but everyone around him, including his wife and children, as well as Alfred Douglas. Murray is clear that upon renouncing his wasted and immoral youth Douglas became a moralist, like the father he hated, and became addicted to litigating every slight made against him. Wilde's circle of friends and admirers needed someone to blame for his demise, so they picked Lord Alfred Douglas. This book shows that like all moralists Douglas became paranoid and biased, but later in life did truly repent and apologized for all the harm he had done. He died penniless, alone and very, very sad. Like Wilde, Douglas's actions also destroyed his marriage and the life of his child. Bosie by Douglas Murray is required reading for all those who want to make up their own minds on Oscar Wilde and know more about the man who figured so prominently in Wilde's life.

Douglas Murray has done what I had thought impossible - completely humanized Lord Alfred Douglas and made me forgive and love him.Up til now I had regarded Bosie as a monster of selfishness and the nemesis of my idol Oscar Wilde. So great was my distaste for him that in my book collection I would not let his work rest on the same shelf as Wilde's.But this tour de force of a biography, exquisitely researched and crafted without prejudice or partiality, has redeemed the most maligned personality of the Fin de Siecle. Lord Douglas is neither sinner nor saint but merely a man who was his father's son, a fine poet, and a partner in a tragic friendship.This young author is one to watch. His talent is prodigious. I have been a Wilde fanatic for thirty years, and this book shook me. I read every word hungrily, and wept when I finished the final page. Bravo, Douglas Murray! Thank you for "Bosie".

Although the life of Oscar Wilde has been written about extensively, that of Lord Alfred Douglas has remained obscure until The appearance of Douglas Murray's biography. The book is a remarkable accomplishment for such a young man and the character of Lord Alfred Douglas, as unpleasant as it may be, is very absorbing. Murray describes the 45 years of Douglas'life after Wilde's death and illuminates the personality of a man who, until now, has been known chiefly as Wilde's lover and companion. Particular attention is paid to Douglas' poetry, which few people seemed to feel was worthy of much critical scutiny before. It was particularly interesting to me to see Douglas' cantankerous and litigious (sp?) life turn into a parody of his father's similar behavior. This causes me to consider that perhaps the strain of insanity that ran through the Douglas family tree afflicted both father and son.In any event, Lord Alfred had a largely unhappy life and died penniless - an embarassing condition for an English lord of high breeding. His stint in prison, while well deserved, apparently had a devastating effect on Douglas' health and outlook.Ironically, I found myself growing more sympathetic towards Douglas toward the end of the book. He seems to have realized that most of his troubles in his later life were self-inflicted and that he had no one to blame but himself. Altogether, this was a highly informative work which illuminates not only the life of Alfred Douglas but also the times in which he lived and the people with whom he associated.

Like many people I had a pre-formed opinion of Bosie from the various books written about Oscar Wilde, this biography has considerably altered my perception of Lord Alfred Douglas. He was a very complicated character and the book gives a balanced view on all aspects of his life as well as the many facets of Douglas's personality. It deals with the many untruths which surround his relationship with Wilde and includes extracts from Douglas's poetry. I had no idea how much of this there was nor how lovely, after reading sections of it reproduced in the book I now want to read more. By the time I put the book down I felt very moved by the whole tale of this mans life. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Like everyone else I imagine who is interested in Lord Alfred Douglas; I was introduced to him through Oscar Wilde. First, as a villian, but after reading more work about him and Douglas' own accounts of his life, I am less enamored of Wilde than I was and more fascinated my this complex man. His poetry if wonderful and very hard to find, this side of rare book stores. That is why this biography is so special a read. It is well written, researched, and fascinating. If you are an Oscar Wilde fan, or simply interested in the figures of 1890's London; this book is an excellent resourse.