Salome [Facsimile] [Paperback]

Oscar Wilde (Author), Adolph Caso (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0828314675 | ISBN-13: 978-0828314671 | Publication Date: December 11, 2009 | Edition: Facsimile edition

Contains all the Aubrey Beardsley drawings and is the English translation undertaken by Lord Alfred Douglas of Wilde's most brilliant tale of passion, which was originally written in French to avoid (unsuccessfully) Victorian censorship. Salome is a simple tale of complex passion. Wilde's heroine bears no resemblance to her biblical origin. His Salome is no mere instrument of Herodias, but a dangerous and passionate young woman whose thwarted affections for John the Baptist lead to a disasterous climax for all persons involved. Wilde's script is a brilliant look at deep-rooted desires and the dangers of obsession. This edition of the play is a must for anyone building their own theatrical library.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An operatic riff on the destructive potential of desire and power"-Times

"lyrical, exotic and dark in the extreme"-Whatsonstage.com

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Branden Books; Facsimile edition edition (December 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0828314675
• ISBN-13: 978-0828314671
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,096,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > British & Irish > 19th Century

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Simple Tale of Complex Pasison, March 29, 2000

By 

Kevin C. Snipes (Daytona, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Salome (Paperback)

This affordably-priced edition of Salome contains all the Aubrey Beardsley drawings and is the English translation undertaken by Lord Alfred Douglas of Wilde's most brilliant tale of passion, which was originally written in French to avoid (unsuccessfully) Victorian censorship. Salome is a simple tale of complex passion. Wilde's heroine bears no resemblance to her biblical origin. His Salome is no mere instrument of Herodias, but a dangerous and passionate young woman whose thwarted affections for John the Baptist lead to a disasterous climax for all persons involved. Wilde's script is a brilliant look at deep-rooted desires and the dangers of obsession. This edition of the play is a must for anyone building their own theatrical library.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It could be a perfect opera, May 27, 2003

By 

Jacques COULARDEAU "A soul doctor, so to say" (OLLIERGUES France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Salome (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

Oscar Wilde touches here a fundamental subject in Christian lore : Salome and John the Baptist, and through them Jesus and the prophesy that he is the Messiah. It would be a perfect subject for an opera because the events are contained in too short a time and the feelings and motivations are too simple and intensely concentrated for a dramaruc play. Salome asks for John's head out of spite because she could not possess him, because he refused to acknowledge her, and also because she knows this will mean the downfall of her step-father, the killer of her own father, and the incestuous husband of her mother. So vengeance is her second motivation. Those motivations are too simple to build up the tragical force of a play, but they are so intense that they could have inspired the most dramatic and powerful music. Oscar Wilde's language is beautiful in many ways but this beauty does not give any complexity to the simpleness of the emotions and motivations. This beautiful language could have become the carrier of a beautiful music. Actually we can hear the music of a Scarlatti, or of a Purcell behind the words, maybe even a Haendel. But as a play it is a little bit flat and without enough depth to build a beautiful performance. As a matter of fact the centrepiece of the play, the dance of the seven veils, is not a dramatic event but a visual and musical event. And we cannot in anyway escape the recollection of the fantastic little black and white film by Clive Barker on the subject. Salome is worth more than just a dramatic play. She can only find her full strength when music and dancing come into the picture, when it is fully visual and musical.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Perpignan

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars seductive Salome has a deadly dance, March 31, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Salome (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

I found this book to a very quick and interesting read. Salome is both loved and feared by men. She uses her deadly seductive power to get anything she wants, almost.
The price of the book is so cheap how can you resist not buying it.