An extraordinary achievement from Wilde’s only grandson! Collected in this expansive work is the legacy of Oscar Wilde. In some ways, more interesting than Matthew Sturgis’s masterful Oscar Wilde: A Life, After Oscar instead focuses on the effect the man has had on us rather than the man himself. Starting while Wilde is still alive and scandalized, Holland takes us on a journey of his grandfather’s posthumous reputation. Homophobia, hypocrisy, hubris abound here. The crackling, droll prose (inherited, perhaps) makes reading this book an utter joy. Even while my emotions rode a roller coaster of surprise, rage, and amusement.
After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal by Merlin Holland, (List Price: $34, Europa Editions, 9798889661764, April 2026)
Reviewed by Kelly, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA