Sunday, December 29, 2013

The Wit & Wisdom of Oscar Wilde: Mini-Review

I miss no one so much as I miss Oscar Wilde....I would rather have him back now than almost anyone I have ever met. I have known more heroic souls and some deeper souls; souls more keenly alive to the ideals of duty and generosity; but I have known no more charming, no more quickening, no more delightful spirit.... 
~Frank Harris, Wilde biographer

I love quotes and I love Oscar Wilde.  So what could be better than The Wit & Humor of Oscar Wilde collected and edited by Alan Redman?  Not much.  The book is full to the brim with over 1000 epigrams on everything from "civilized" society to politics and from love to friendship.  The collection presents Wilde's wit and sense of humor at its finest.  Redman has done his research--combing Wilde's plays, poems, fairy tales, and correspondence to produce an exhaustive, completely authenticated work.  There have been many quotes attributed to Wilde that you will not find here for the simple reason that Redman could find no authentic source confirming that Wilde first said them.  A funny and interesting book--just right for the quote-lovers and fans of Wilde alike.  Four stars.


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