Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a Gothic and philosophical novel by Oscar Wilde, first published complete in the July 1890 issue of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. Fearing the story was indecent, prior to publication the magazine's editor deleted roughly five hundred words without Wilde's knowledge. Despite that censorship, The Picture of Dorian Gray offended the moral sensibilities of British book reviewers, some of whom said that Oscar Wilde merited prosecution for violating the laws guarding public morality. In response, Wilde aggressively defended his novel and art in correspondence with the British press, although he personally made excisions of some of the most controversial material when revising and lengthening the story for book publication the following year.

Oscar Wilde's first novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, published in 1891, ignited significant controversy and criticism. This provocative story closely mirrored Wilde's own life, capturing his pursuit of aestheticism and decadent indulgence. As a prominent figure in the Aesthetic Movement, Wilde's flamboyant lifestyle and affairs scandalized Victorian society. Captivated by his own portrait's enduring beauty and youth, Dorian Gray leads a life of excess and vice, while his portrait grotesquely reflects his moral decay. Wilde's eventual imprisonment for "gross indecency" highlighted the peril of living purely for beauty and pleasure, much like Dorian's tragic end. The Dover Bookshelf presents Wilde's incisive wit and rich prose in a splendid hardcover collectible, illuminating the dangers of vanity, hedonism, and the quest for eternal youth – a profound critique of societal values and the dualities within human nature.

A young man of rare beauty, Dorian Gray is the very picture of the ideal British gentleman. When he is drawn into a life of decadence and lustful indulgence, he discovers a painting begins to bear new marks for each of his sins, leaving him as youthful and attractive as ever. And so begins Dorian's descent into a personal hell of lies, murder, and depravity.

A young man of rare beauty, Dorian Gray is the very picture of the ideal British gentleman. When he is drawn into a life of decadence and lustful indulgence, he discovers a painting begins to bear new marks for each of his sins, leaving him as youthful and attractive as ever. And so begins Dorian's descent into a personal hell of lies, murder, and depravity.

A HOUSE OF POMEGRANITES Oscar Wilde's collection of fairy tales for adults includes four classic stories "The Young King," "The Birthday of the Infanta," "The Fisherman and his Soul," and "The Star-child."