Book
The Wildes : a novel in five acts / Louis Bayard.
"Oscar Wilde, his wife, Constance, and their two sons deal with the aftermath of the famous playwright's imprisonment for homosexuality, told against the backdrop of Victorian England and World War I"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781643755304 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: 296 pages ; 24 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: Chapel Hill, NC : Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2024.
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Wilde, Oscar, 1854-1900 > Fiction. Wilde family > Fiction. Adultery > Fiction. Authors > Fiction. Bisexual men > Fiction. Families > Fiction. Married people > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Queer fiction. Historical fiction. Biographical fiction. Novels. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | FIC Bayar | 31681010388486 | FICTION | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
A historical novel explores the life of Oscar Wildeâs wife, Constance, and their two sons in the aftermath of the famous playwrightâs imprisonment for homosexuality, told against the backdrop of Victorian England and World War I. - Baker & Taylor
"Oscar Wilde, his wife, Constance, and their two sons deal with the aftermath of the famous playwright's imprisonment for homosexuality, told against the backdrop of Victorian England and World War I"-- - Grand Central Pub
In this singularly powerful novel, bestselling author Louis Bayard brings Oscar Wildeâs wife Constance and two sons out from the shadows of history and creates a vivid and poignant story of secrets, loss, and love.
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In September of 1892, Oscar Wilde and his family have retreated to the idyllic Norfolk countryside for a holiday. His wife, Constance, has every reason to be happy: two beautiful sons, her own work as an advocate for feminist causes, and a delightfully charming and affectionate husband and father to her children, who also happens to be the most sought-after author in England. But with the arrival of an unexpected houseguest, the aristocratic young poet Lord Alfred Douglas, Constance graduallyâand then all at onceâcomes to see that her husbandâs heart is elsewhere and that the growing intensity between the two men threatens the whole foundation of their lives.
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The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts takes readers on the emotional journey of this family, moving from the Italian countryside, where Constance Wilde flees from the aftermath of Oscarâs imprisonment for homosexuality, to the trenches of World War I and an underground bar in Londonâs Soho, where Oscarâs sons Cyril and Vyvyan must both grapple with their fatherâs legacy. And in a brilliant feat of the imagination, act 5 reunites the entire cast in a surprising, poignant, and tremendously satisfying tableau.
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With Louis Bayardâs trademark sparkling dialogue and deep insight into the lives and longings of all his characters, The Wildes could almost have been created by Oscar Wilde himself. Lightly told but with hidden depths, it is an entertaining and dramatic story about the human condition.
"Wonderfully researched, beautifully crafted, movingly told, The Wildes is a treasure to read."
âAndrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less and Less Is Lost
"The Wildes is a marvel of tenderness, irony, heartbreak, and reclamation that demonstrates why Bayard is among the most essentialâand most entertainingâinterrogators of the past.â
âAnthony Marra, author of Mercury Pictures Presents and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena - HARPERCOLL
From the bestselling author of The Pale Blue Eye, Louis Bayard, comes Atonement meets The Paris Wife, a brilliantly original, profoundly empathetic story about Oscar Wilde's wife Constance and their two sons in the aftermath of the famous playwright's imprisonment for homosexuality, told against the backdrop of Victorian England and World War I.
In September of 1892, Oscar Wilde and his family retreated to the idyllic Norfolk countryside for a holiday. His wife, Constance, has every reason to be happy: two beautiful sons, a stellar reputation as an advocate for progressive causes, and a delightfully charming and affectionate husband and father, who is perhaps the most famous man in England. But as an assortment of houseguests arrive, including an aristocratic young wannabe poet named Lord Alfred Douglas, Constance graduallyâand then all at onceâcomes to see that her husband's heart is elsewhere and that the growing intensity between the two men threatens the whole foundation of their lives.
The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts revolves around that fateful summer: what happened, and what might have been. When it was exposed, Oscar's affair with Lord Alfred DouglasâBosie, as he was knownâled to Wilde's imprisonment for homosexuality, and the financial and emotional ruin of his family. In Act Two, Bayard reveals Constance and their sons, Cyril and Vyvyan, in exile, forced to sell their possessions, leave England, and hide their identities. Act Three, from the perspective of Cyril, brings readers into the French trenches of World War I, where Cyril must grapple with the kind of man he wants to become, while Act Four reveals Vyvyan in London, years after the war, searching for answers from those who knew his parents. And in a brilliant act of the imagination, Act Five brings the entire cast back together in a surprising, poignant, and tremendously satisfying tableau.Â
With Louis Bayard's trademark sparkling dialogue, paired with his deep insight into the lives and longings of all his charactersâand based on real eventsâThe Wildes could almost have been created by Oscar Wilde himself: lightly told but with hidden depths, it is an entertaining and dramatic story about the human condition.
