[close] Oscar Wilde was a man ahead of his time. He was famous for pushing the parameters of socially accepted sexual codes (albeit with disastrous results), and, as a playwright, for introducing a new, extraordinarily modern, idea of comedy that combined psychological insight with social satire. But he was also one of the primary inventors of the art and science of self-invention and self-promotion. The Wilde Album by Merlin Holland (Wilde's grandson) is a fascinating and comprehensive examination of how Wilde the artist consciously conjured--through a complicated and savvy use of the media--Wilde the personality. Holland has assembled an enormous number of artifacts--from press clippings to political cartoons to theater programs --that map Wilde's emergence as a media celebrity and chart how this image was used against him as his popularity foundered in the face of scandal.

What makes The Wilde Album ultimately moving, and unique, is Holland's use of rare family photos and personal material. Juxtaposed with the vivaciousness of the public life, and in the context of the government's persecution of the artist, this more private material embodies and expresses the pain and needless tragedy of Wilde's life. [close]