"Eternal youth, infinite passion, pleasures subtle and secret, wild joys and wilder sins – he was to have all these things. The portrait was to bear the burden of his shame: that was all."

DESCRIPTION

In this celebrated work, his only novel, Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late 19th century England. Combining elements of a Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world.

"Yes, we are overcharged for everything nowadays. I should fancy that the real tragedy of the poor is that they can afford nothing but self-denial. Beautiful sins, like beautiful things, are the privilege of the rich." extract from Picture of Dorian Gray

An astounding novel of decadence, debauchery, and secrecy from one of Ireland''s greatest writers.

FACTS

• Oscar Wilde is a prominent figure in the aesthetic movement, a late 19th-century artistic expression of "art for art's sake" emphasizing visual beauty over practical or moral considerations.

• Reviews of the book attacked him for his corrupting influence and offending moral sensibilities and this book was used against him during his trials.

• He faced trials for gross indecency in 1895, based on his homosexual liaisons with a British aristocrat, which he pleaded not guilty but resulted in his imprisonment of two years, the maximum sentence for the crime.

• This was a notorious case since it was one of the first celebrity trials.

• Film and theater adaptations, like the 70's movie The Secret of Dorian Gray