The Portable Oscar Wilde

It truly is a shame that Oscar Wilde lived in the age he did, when his basic "lifestyle" overshadowed his brilliant writing. This book has it all: "The portrait of Dorian Grey", "The Importance of Being Ernest", etc. It also includes a whole sections of poems that he wrote that I had never been aware of. If he had been alive in todays age and writing these pieces, he would have been hailed as the incredible artist he was (and is). If you are not familiar with his work, this book is a fantastic place to start as it has all of his best work.

Edited by Richard Aldington. Stories include the picture of dorian gray, salome, the importance of being earnest, de profundis, many poems and the selfish giant.

This edition of Oscar Wilde's work - in addition to its inclusion of much personal correspondence - is a fascinating look at the author and, notably, his personal travails.The novel, of course, and the plays are classics, but I found the letters to be a juicy narrative all their own. The twists and turns of his doomed affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, affectionately called "Bosie" in touching - and bitter - love notes from prison, are here to peruse. Reading them, you get a sense of Wilde's personal feelings at the time of his famed trial and arrest for sodomy, his anguish at losing Bosie and going to jail. It's fascinating, juicy stuff - made all the more touching by the fact that it all occurred without shame, in plain view, over 100 years ago.Wilde's a great character, a great author, a good role model for gay life and a hysterical wit. And this book is a must.