Oscar Wilde's grandson speaks

Following up on the previous item, Merlin Holland, a grandson of Oscar Wilde has just published a memoir reflecting on his grandfather's legacy. It is only available on the other side of the pond currently, but will be published here in April.

After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal traces the laborious path Wilde's literary standing took from "none dare speak his name" to become hailed one of the key figures in the gay liberation movement. Writing in The Guardian, reviewer Matthew Sturgis notes that "After a childhood trying to avoid what seemed an embarrassing association, and a post-university career in academic publishing in the Middle East, [Holland] came to realise that honesty was what was needed. If he was going to acknowledge his grandfather it must be not as a mere 'living link' with the past, but as an informed expert. And that is what he has become: the author of several important books of Wildean history and historiography – including this one.

Better late than never...

The Oct. 16 New York Times reports that 125 years after his death, Oscar Wilde is posthumously receiving something taken from him long ago: his library card. Merlin Holland, a grandson of Wilde’s, accepted a "Reader's Pass" on his ancestor's behalf.

On June 15, 1895, the Irish poet and playwright was excluded from the British Museum’s Reading Room, the precursor to the British Library, following his conviction for "gross indecency." Wilde was already imprisoned by then, however, and it appears he never knew about the card's revocation--a small mercy.

Ironically, over the years the British Library has amassed a large collection of Wilde’s works, including “De Profundis,” the 50,000-word love letter that he wrote in jail to his paramour, Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas. The library’s collection also includes manuscripts of some of Wilde’s best known plays, such as “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “An Ideal Husband” and “Lady Windermere’s Fan.”

Questions for Mr. Kirchick

If any of you plan to attend James Kirchick's book talk on Saturday evening (see below), Lee Levine has come up with some excellent questions to ask the author:

Will you update the book to cover 21st-century presidents, particularly Donald Trump?

Of all the sad stories in your book, which one moves you the most?

Are there things you couldn't put in the book?

Again, the talk will take place at the Georgetown Barnes and Noble on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 6 p.m., on the occasion of National Coming Out Day.

Happy 100th birthday, Gore!

Gore Vidal was born a century ago today, on Oct. 3, 1925. Over the years, we've read just two of his many novels: The City and the Pillar (discussed in 2004) and Julian (discussed in 2020). Will our next reading list include more of Mr. Vidal's books? Stay tuned...

In the meantime, Vanity Fair just published this fascinating article about the writer, "Gore Vidal's Final Feud."

Little District Books move update

Following up on my earlier post, Little District Books has just announced that it will close on Monday, Oct. 6, and reopen in its new location, 631 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, on Saturday, Oct. 11.

Background viewing for Kureishi

The Buddha of Suburbia, which we'll be discussing this Wednesday, takes place during the short prime ministership of James Callaghan (who is mentioned by name in the novel). Accordingly. our friend Mike Mazza suggests this video as a good reference for understanding the cultural and political backdrop of the story: "U.K. Prime Ministers: James Callaghan," from the channel Politicoteacher. It's about 11 minutes long. Thanks, Mike!

My 25 Years Before the Mast

In late September 2000, I attended my first meeting of what was then the Potomac Gay Men's Book Group. I remember we met in a restaurant on Connecticut Avenue NW, a couple of blocks up from Lambda Rising, and I felt welcome, but the rest is lost in the mists of time.

I've looked through the "Books We Have Read" section of our blog (at the bottom) to refresh my memory on what we discussed that night, but there's no entry for the third week of that month, alas. (If any of you old-timers happen to remember, let me know.) So my guess is that the group returned to an anthology already in progress, for which our blog only gives the date when we start it.

I was still working full-time in those days, so I didn't make it to all that many BookMen meetings initially. But I always enjoyed the discussions and the camaraderie, and in May 2009 I took over as facilitator from Tim Walton (and as blogmaster, eventually). It's been a great quarter-century, and I hope to be around for many more BookMen gatherings!