pickPerhaps Im first entering into Wilde‘s works at an odd time, reading his famous prison prose De Profundis, written at the nadir of his career, before encountering any of the dramatic works that first made him a literary giant. But Im happy to get to know an older, more subdued Wilde who writes w/ humility but also (I think) no apology, acknowledging any past vices only so that they are swept aside to accommodate his spiritual awakening.
pickFirst 5⭐️ read of the year! This has been on my bookshelf for 20 years waiting for the right moment. Penguin no longer makes this exact volume which also includes 2 essays and random poems. De Profundis itself is the standout out here. It‘s just the best expression of how it feels to be a human being. The love, the hurt, the hope, the raw. It‘s one of my gospels now, because love is all and everything in this life. 🌈
“Love is fed by the imagination, by which we become wiser than we know, better than we feel, nobler than we are: by which we can see life as a whole: by which and by which alone we can understand others in their real as in their ideal relation.”
Tagged book was the favorite in a busy reading month. 28 books total—heavy on graphic novels & fantasy. Some other favorites...Blind Assassin was brilliant & I highly recommend it. Sad to see Gert‘s rampaging come to an end but I liked the way IHF wrapped up. Fence gets better & better. Spinning Silver did not disappoint (& the writing!), Night Angel trilogy is excellent fantasy. Finally, two interesting & informative nonfiction reads.
pickThis edition collects letters dealing with legal & family matters, a 50,000 word letter to his lover Lord Alfred Douglas, 2 letters about life in prison sent to British newspapers (contents of which remain relevant today), & The Ballad of Reading Goal, the last thing Wilde ever wrote. There is self-pity, anger & bitterness throughout but there is also passion, intelligence, beauty, & much more. A fascinating, highly recommended read. Excellent.
Words which are still relevant today. (From a letter Wilde wrote to a newspaper about the treatment of children in prison.)
“With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?”
“Love can read the writing on the remotest star...”
“Life has at last become to me as real as a dream.”
One of our vacation stops was Newport, RI where we saw the ‘Bohemian Beauty: The Aesthetic Movement and Oscar Wilde‘s Newport‘ exhibit at Rosecliff. Interestingly, several other books I‘ve read since returning home referenced Wilde (including the fun & fluffy My Oxford Year). So naturally I decided it was time, having only read (and loved) The Picture of Dorian Gray, to read more by Wilde. Next up, his prison writings.
The final mystery is oneself. When one has weighed the sun in the balance, and measured the steps of the moon, and mapped out the seven heavens star by star, there still remains oneself. Who can calculate the orbit of his own soul?
De Profundis and Other Prison Writings | 
