OSCAR WILDE A Life

Matthew Sturgis's expansive 2018 biography of famed Irish wordsmith Oscar Wilde is perfectly paired with John Pirkis's mellifluous narration. The delightful match in tone and voice gives well-rounded expression to Wilde's humanity. Sturgis's accessible scholarship incorporates newly available historical material, providing a clearer understanding of the writer and the nineteenth-century Victorian world he inhabited. Quoted passages arise from newspaper accounts, correspondence, court cases, and contemporary reviews of Wilde's work, leavened through Pirkis's delivery. In these moments, the narrator disappears and the speakers emerge. His emotionally attuned performance connects listeners with the creative, financial, and interpersonal struggles Wilde faced. The only shortcoming lies with Pirkis's somewhat flat American accents. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2022]