Books: Built On Books

Ever been affected by what you read? Most of us have, but what about some of the great authors? What did they read and how did this affect their writing and their life? This is the premise behind the book, Built on Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde (2009), by Thomas Wright. Wright spent 20 years reading his way through Wilde’s personal library, embarking on a fascinating adventure of discovery and speculation. His conclusion is that Wilde actually built his life out of the books he read. His library was his reality. The books he read were as important to his life as his family, friends or lovers. From this library he derived the intellectual culture that infuses his writing. Wilde’s eclectic library contained about 2000 volumes along with magazines, periodicals and scrapbooks. The entire collection was sold at auction in 1895 to resolve his debts after he was convicted and sentenced for “gross indecency.” The auction was actually the real “gross indecency.” The items were sold to a voracious crowd of antique dealers and curiosity seekers at knock down prices. A fist-fight even broke out at the sale. The police had to be called. Wright was able to piece the library’s contents by looking at the surviving auctioneers list. Wright does an interesting job of weaving Wilde’s life in and through the books he was reading at any given point in his life. I’ve never seen a biography quite put together this way, but it seems to work. The only negative for me was that there was a bit of over speculation on Wright’s part. But who knows maybe his speculations are correct. Either way this book approaches Wilde’s life from a unique perspective.