Delightfully poignant

Twenty-sixth book reviewed as part of the 130 Challenge.

Well of course, Oscar Wilde doesn’t need a stamp of approval. But I feel compelled to talk about his work because I don’t want anyone to miss the pleasure of reading him. And the best thing is that most of his work is available on project Gutenberg.

The first book by him that I read, was The Picture of Dorian Gray. The book shook me so much that I couldn’t complete it. It was real and it changed my perspective on life. I’m planning to complete it this year.

Now, on to ‘A woman of no importance’. I know that technically, it’s not a book. And I tried to get an audio book of people voice-acting it. But, I didn’t like it that much, so I decided to read it. This was the first time I have ever read a play by Oscar Wilde and it was the most amazing experience ever! Every dialogue was superb. So much thought has been put into this short and simple script that you can read it time and again and be amazed by the depth of writing. Wilde’s self-contradictory style of philosophizing is a delight to read.

I don’t think there’s anyone who has a better grasp on the complicated nature of human relationships than Oscar Wilde. He uses that to make this play about the relationships so much more profound!

I’ll just stop at that because I’m not qualified to say more about the play than that it is a beautifully written story, replete with brilliant aphorisms. See for yourself.

Since it’s such a short play, you can even read it online. The University of Adelaide has a beautiful online version that I recommend.