Showing results by author "Oscar Wilde" in All Categories

The Canterville Ghost The first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in the magazine The Court and Society Review in February 1887. When a family from the United States buys Canterville Chase, they are told it is haunted by a horrible spirit, but this does not deter them in the slightest.

Long before he'd produced any of his great works, Oscar Wilde was already famous for being famous. Armed only with some witty epigrams, a carefully crafted persona and his genius for self-promotion, he had conquered America and transformed himself from nobody to star. This radio collection opens with four plays from Radio 4's Born to be Wilde season, offering a 21st-century perspective on the making of one of the first true celebrities. First up are two sparkling and surprising productions of his two most popular comedies, marking the peak of his theatrical career.

This is a story from the The Happy Prince and Other Stories collection.

TBC

"The Portrait of Mr. W. H." is a story written by Oscar Wilde, first published in Blackwood's Magazine in 1889. It was later added to the collection Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories, though it does not appear in early editions. An enlarged edition planned by Wilde, almost twice as long as the Blackwood's version, with cover illustration by Charles Ricketts, did not proceed and only came to light after Wilde's death. This was published in limited edition by Mitchell Kennerley in New York in 1921, and in a first regular English edition by Methuen in 1958, edited by Vyvyan Holland.

Oscar Wilde's Salome was originally published in French in 1891 and translated into English by Lord Alfred Douglas. This one-act play, a sinister tale of a woman scorned and her vengeance, has become a landmark of Decadent literature. The play tells the biblical story of Salome, stepdaughter of the tetrarch Herod Antipas, who, to her stepfather's dismay but to the delight of her mother Herodias, requests the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter as a reward for dancing the dance of the seven veils.

This is a story from the Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories collection.

Oscar Wilde's classic comic ghost story was the first of his short stories to be published, in February 1887. It relates the experiences of Mr. Hiram B. Otis, an American minister, and his family when they move into Canterville Chase, an ancient pile haunted by the previous owner's dead ancestor, Sir Simon. Of course, Mr. Otis declares, "There is no such thing, sir, as a ghost", and all of Sir Simon's hauntings have no effect on the skeptical American family, with the exception of the daughter, Virginia, despite his most strenuous efforts.

Adapted from the classic story by Oscar Wilde.... There has been a ghost in the house for 300 years, and Lord Canterville’s family have had enough of it. So Lord Canterville sells his grand old house to an American family. Mr. Hiram B. Otis is happy to buy the house and the ghost - because of course Americans don’t believe in ghosts. The Canterville ghost has great plans to frighten the life out of the Otis family. But Americans don’t frighten easily....

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on the 16th October 1854, in Dublin, Ireland. The son of Dublin intellectuals Oscar proved himself an outstanding classicist at Trinity College and then at Oxford. His only novel, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’, was published in 1890 and he then moved on to writing for the stage with ‘Salome’ in 1891. His society comedies were enormous hits and turned him into one of the most successful writers of late Victorian London. This collection of light-hearted and witty stories was written by Oscar Wilde in 1891.

John Worthing, a carefree young gentleman, is the inventor of a fictitious brother, “Ernest,” whose wicked ways afford John an excuse to leave his country home from time to time and journey to London, where he stays with his close friend and confidant, Algernon Moncrieff. Algernon has a cousin, Gwendolen Fairfax, with whom John is deeply in love.

A young man commits all types of sins, but only his portrait shows the ravages of his life. Oscar Wilde's Faustian classic. Gothic horror at its best.

The most personal of Oscar Wilde's works, The Picture of Dorian Grey was also one of the earliest. It was published in 1891 and caused immediate controversy and great notoriety for its writer. The story of an immensely beautiful and hedonistic boy whose conscience becomes separate from his body and housed in a portrait which slowly and hideously ages and decays in keeping with his increasing depravity whilst the boy himself remains untouched plays with all of Oscar Wilde's theories of art and life.

If only I could remain young while the picture grows old. For that I’d give anything.... When Dorian Gray, a handsome young man about town, makes this wish, he can hardly guess that it will mark the beginning of a life of hedonism and debauchery. Soon enough his webs of deception and deceit catch innocent victims, some of them his closest friends, and the only evidence of his misdeeds is a long-forgotten portrait in his attic.

Although he intended his audience to be children, Oscar Wilde's story, The Devoted Friend, has appealed to people of all ages. Listen as a green linnet tells the charming tale of Hans, an honest, good-humored fellow with a funny, round face and his friend Hugh, the rich Miller. How the Miller exploits little Hans and takes advantage of his kindness brings a very clear message to every one of the pitfalls of trust and devotion.

Hughie Erskine drops in to see his artist friend Alan Trevor who is painting what appears to be a street beggar. Feeling sympathy for the poor wretch, Erskine gives him money. What he does not realize is that the "beggar" is merely posing for the artist and is actually one of the richest men in the world, Baron Hausberg, who does not reveal his identity until Erskine has made a complete fool of himself. Renowned vocal actor David Ian Davies performs Oscar Wilde's classic short story.

Oscar Wilde's only novel, given a superbly splendid modern reading by the talented Rupert Graves. Many classic Wilde quotes emanate from this horror novel.

Oscar Wilde’s classic story of a young man who sells his soul in exchange for eternal beauty and youth continues to thrill generations of readers. Written by a man who was every bit as flamboyant and unconventional as its hero, The Picture of Dorian Gray is as haunting today as when it first shocked the British public in 1891. Dorian Gray, young, intelligent, sophisticated, gazes on his freshly painted portrait.

Dive into the delightful world of Oscar Wildes wit with the Oscar Wilde Calendar. This unique collection features some of his most celebrated epigrams alongside unpublished quotations shared by his friends. Each day of the year presents a new saying, carefully curated by Wildean scholar Stuart Mason (born Christopher Sclater Millard). Experience the charm and brilliance of Wildes words every day, brought to life by the engaging narration of Rob Marland.

A new audio edition of Oscar Wilde's masterpiece, The Picture of Dorian Gray.