Nothing…Except My Genius is a collection of quotes by Oscar Wilde. It’s a very slim book, only 108 pages, but it does have some interesting quotes. The first 20 pages are taken up by an essay by Stephen Fry on playing Oscar Wilde in the 1997 film Wilde. Actually, the essay is as much about Wilde and people’s perceptions of him as it is about Stephen Fry and the film role. I found the essay very interesting and it made me decide to buy a book of the complete works of Oscar Wilde. I remember reading some of his children’s stories when I was much younger – just thinking of the ending of The Happy Prince makes me want to cry – and I look forward to reading them again.
The quotations in Nothing…Except My Genius are given in chronological order, as far as possible. Some quotations are taken from Wilde’s books and plays. Others are things he said on matters as diverse as art, education and politics, to name just some of the topics.
The book doesn’t contain all the interesting or amusing things that were said or written by Oscar Wilde. But it is a reasonable introduction to how the man thought. Hopefully it will encourage others to explore his works in more depth, the way I intend to do.
