Essere figlio di Oscar Wilde - book presentation

Thursday 19 October at 5pm Join us for the presentation of the book Essere figlio di Oscar Wilde.

Recently published in Italy by La Lepre Edizioni and translated by Lucia Matano, Essere figlio di Oscar Wilde, is a book by Vyvyan Holland, second son of Oscar Wilde and his wife Constance Lloyd.

The heavy shadow of the scandal that struck his father at the height of his success turned a happy childhood into a succession of painful events, hardships and renunciations. Holland recounts his memories, partly reconstructing his father's biography without any rancour or self-pity, but also shows the importance and strength of character of his mother, Constance. Holland paints a marvellous picture, allowing all readers, scholars and fans of the famous writer to reread his life from a different perspective, shedding light on unknown and surprising aspects.

Four unpublished short stories that Wilde invented and read on one of the many occasions of social gatherings complete the book, along with an epistolary correspondence of considerable interest.

'In these pages I have tried to show what it is like to be the son of Oscar Wilde,' writes the author, who was forced to change his surname from Wilde to Holland. And again: 'This is not a very amusing or entertaining story. I think, however, that it should be written, as part of the whole tragic story of Oscar Wilde.'

The book will be presented by Alessandro Orlandi, Edizioni La Lepre, Lucia Matano, translator, and Gian Pietro Leonardi, PhD in English language literatures and independent scholar of LGBTQIA+ literary cultures.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT WILL BE IN ITALIAN