After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal

In this unique biography, Holland (Conversations with Wilde), Oscar Wilde’s grandson, explores the long-lasting impact of Wilde’s criminal conviction for homosexuality in London in 1895 and seeks to clear up misconceptions related to the incident. Holland starts with Wilde’s final years—his release from prison in 1897 until his death at 46 three years later—but the majority of the book focuses on Wilde’s friends and family. Wilde’s ex-lover, Bosie Douglas, proved litigious, suing Wilde biographer Arthur Ransome for implying he was responsible for Wilde’s downfall. Wilde had a disparate impact on his two sons, “one wanting to claim what little of his father’s artistic temperament he might have inherited and the other desperately anxious to distance himself from it at all costs.” Elsewhere, Holland elucidates the development and protection of his grandfather’s literary reputation as first his parents, then he, process copyright claims, work with biographers and filmmakers, and debunk fake manuscripts. Holland makes a valuable addition to Wilde scholarship, but the promised myth-busting focuses mostly on details that will speak only to the most obsessive Wilde fans, such as the motive behind a donation to erect a statue on Wilde’s grave. While the account’s comprehensiveness comes at the cost of narrative propulsion, this is sure to make a splash among Wilde scholars. (Apr.)