This is only a short book of 52 pages. Easy to take along on short trips.
And what a lovely title. I suppose Oscar Wilde considered himself a very boring person at breakfast.
While this sounds like another one of his not-so-well-known writings, it is really a collection of his aphorisms, quotes, anecdotes, witticisms. A delight to read. Again and again.
After reading this, I would have wished to be friends with him. I'm sure we would have really liked each other.
One of my favourite quotes, still as relevant today as it was a hundred years ago, especially with regard to certain politics:
"Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live."
From the back cover:
"Wilde's celebrated witticisms on the dangers of sincerity, duplicitous biographers, the stupidity of the English - and his own genius.
'It would be unfair to expect other people to be as remarkable as oneself'. Oscar Wilde"
This is a "Penguin Little Black Classics" edition and it looks like there are lots of other authors who
There is even a box set with the following description:
"A stunning collection of all 80 exquisite Little Black Classics from Penguin
This spectacular box set of the 80 books in the Little Black Classics series showcases the many wonderful and varied writers in Penguin Black Classics. From India to Greece, Denmark to Iran, the United States to Britain, this assortment of books will transport readers back in time to the furthest corners of the globe. With a choice of fiction, poetry, essays and maxims, by the likes of Chekhov, Balzac, Ovid, Austen, Sappho and Dante, it won't be difficult to find a book to suit your mood. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of the Penguin Classics list - from drama to poetry, from fiction to history, with books taken from around the world and across numerous centuries."
It would be worth getting.
A *very* witty man..... [lol] LOVE that guy...
ReplyDeleteVery, very witty indeed, Kitten. What's not to love about his writings???
DeleteIndeed! I'm thinking about buying the boxset... After all it is my birthday soon... It'll be a nice treat for me.
DeleteHaha, KItten, that is indeed a nice birthday present for yourself, I guess. Knowing you, you will have read the 80 booklets within a month.
DeleteOh CK, as long as that boxed set keeps you from spending more money on other books, I am in favor!
DeleteLOL.... Probably not........
DeleteYou two are just hilarious!!!!
DeleteI love Oscar Wilde's wit. I'll have to look for this one.
ReplyDeleteHe is just superb, Lark. You will love this.
DeleteOh, could this be your best title of the year? Loving it!
ReplyDeleteIn the 1980s, not sure why then, his aphorisms were very popular in quizzes type programs on French radio! (my family didn't have TV)
That is true, Emma. That is certainly one of the funniest titles of the year. No wonder, it's a quote by Oscar himself. And he buried in your most known cemetery.
DeleteThat's interesting, that the French liked his witticism so much. I often hear him quoted in British quiz programmes, and he is usually easy to detect. Nobody is as brilliant as he is.
Interesting that your family had no TV, neither had mine when I was young. Maybe that's why we took to reading so much?
What a fun book. He truly was the master of the witticism!
ReplyDeleteI see, we all agree, Jane. He certainly was.
DeleteLove Oscar Wilde so much.
ReplyDeleteHe was great, Sarah.
DeleteI have not read this one, but is a great fan of OW. I have his collected works so will look for it. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt is just a fun book to read a lot of his quotes, Lisbeth. Either in one go or just one every day or so. Although, I had to read them in one go and now re-read just a few from time to time.
Delete