Oscar Wilde and the Solstice Symbol

• As the summer solstice approaches, Oscar Wilde’s work is currently in vogue big time and is in the midst of a deserved major revival in contemporary theatre and on film!
• Next month a film The Happy Prince, will be released, a passion project for actor Rupert Everett for over a decade and reflected on BBC1’s Imagine on Sunday night.
• We should surely also remember the winter solstice, a time when the moon is of central importance and which plays a significant part in Wilde’s work.
• It certainly is in his play Salome, which Al Pacino turned into a superb film in which Jessica Chastain gave a tour de force performance in the tragic central role.
• However, many are not used to thinking of Wilde as a poet, which is a shame as he was a very fine poet.
• The moon often makes its appearance in his eloquent verses.

As an example why not take a look at his poem Endymion, subtitled  (to Music)?

 

Arthur and Oscar

 

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The Arthur Ransome Society    

The Oscar Wilde Society

Did you know there was a connection between both these writers?  Why not explore this site?

It is particularly relevant in the face of the recent revival of both authors’ works!

Let’s celebrate their wonderful legacy!

 

Arthur Ransome and Oscar Wilde News

Camden Community Radio Interview

Dear Folks

Long time, no hear you think!

The new news is I have had the pleasure of working with some wonderful professional actors at Guild House, the actors’ union head office in a workshop I led on April 18th.

The text was my screenplay, The Genius and the Rebel, that sheds light on history’s lost story and the homophobic, mainly white England of 1910.  The substance of the screenplay is that the movers and shakers of the time, Arthur Ransome and the publisher Martin Secker challenged this established world.

Both were determined to have Wilde, imprisoned for homosexual practices fifteen years earlier acknowledged as the genius he was by the UK literati.

There was a pleasing range of ages and ethnicity in the workshop, which yielded pleasingly unexpected and thought-provoking feedback.

Thank you so much everyone!

 

 

Camden Community Radio Interview

 

The Ransome Experience

 

Here is a treat!

Click the link for my interview with the lovely Violet of Camden Community Radio.

Arthur Ransome: The Lost Story.

http://www.canstream.co.uk/camden/index.php?id=980

I had a truly lovely time.  Everyone was so friendly and helpful.

Great to hear your comments!

 

 

 

Camden Community Radio

A GOLDEN SHOES DAY!!!

It was lovely to have an interview with Violet about the lost legacy of Arthur Ransome!

Just wait for the recording!

See you next week and looking forward to catching up!

 

Photo by Alex Powell on Pexels.com

Signals to the New Year!

The Ransome Experience

Success!

For the oven

Ready, Steady, Eat!

Sophie Neville the President of TARS with her amazing books!

Oscar Wilde

It was so wonderful to snuggle into the beginning of Signals, the magazine of The Arthur Ransome Society today – and great to hear about the new Chair!

It was lovely to be reminded about these words of wisdom in Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons by the President.

“I like cooking.” (mate Susan)

“If you want to go on liking it, take my advice and get someone else to do the washing up!”

(My sentiments exactly!)

Above is a superb pie, the recipe of which was obtained from TARS magazine! It is the only recipe for home made pastry which works for me!  Pastry is the maverick of the amateur cook!

Over Christmas I have also been answering Oscar Wilde film quiz questions for members of The Oscar Wilde Society and watching Oscar Wilde films.

Oscar Wilde with Robert Morley as Wilde and The Trials of Oscar Wilde with Peter Finch in the lead role are worth looking up on YouTube.

In the first film, Ralph Richardson steals the acting honours as Edward Carson – a truly great actor!

Look up your classics folks!  Movies are great to chill to over Christmas!

The Ransome Experience

 

Wilde Week

Morecambe Bay, Kite Fest

More kites in a cold year.

The Ransome Experience

A quay at Coniston

How wonderful to receive the OW Society publication Intentions — and a privilege to see my contribution to this eminent publication!

It was also exciting to see in a bookshop this week a copy of Oscariana, the book Wilde’s wife compiled with a collection of her husband’s aphorisms.

London is wonderful!

At last I have had articles published in both TARS and OW Society publications!

Truly though, it is important never to lose our connection to the great classics in literature!

I have also engaged in activities to bring the incredible, amazing, lost story of these two authors and the links A R unwittingly unlocked between Wilde and Douglas to a wider platform.

These authors, thought poles apart, actually had much more in common than people think!

O W Society member Mr John Cooper has highlighted that O W shared A R’s love of life on the ocean wave, was at the very least a competent sailor and certainly an enthusiastic one!

A R also unwittingly unlocked the key to the enigmatic relationship between Oscar Wilde and Douglas in his own masterpiece lost to society in 2018.

Both men were both part of Cool Britannia!

For information about The Oscar Wilde Society click the link

For TARS see http://www.arthur-ransome.org.uk/

 

News on Arthur and Oscar

I have re-joined The Oscar Wilde Society!

I have also worked regarding The Story of these two which is fascinating.

The British Library is a rich resource for further research on many topics and is well worth a visit.

Do get A R’s autobiography and absorb his amazing accounts of his experience during W W I as Remembrance Sunday approaches.

A friend of Lenin, he was at one point suspected of being Double Agent Ransome!

See you.

Poet

Oscar Wilde Quiz

Discord is to be forced to be in harmony with others.”

Which Wilde wag or maverick said this and in which work?

Do you know?  Why ask?

Well, the latest news is that there is going to be a quiz in November for Oscar Wilde Society members!

Which of you readers of my blog know that Wilde’s publisher was called John Lane?   See below for more on this!

In which play is there a servant of that name?

The quiz night is going to be such fun!

Why not join this exquisite Society?

Just click the link to find out more!

Poet has been ill which is why this post has been off the radar for a while.

Enjoy!

 

Lane’s nephew Allen founded Penguin books.

St James’ Place where Wilde entertained young men.

What is left of the theatre that produced Lady Windermere’s fan. The plaque is of Dorian Gray.

Number 10 and 11 were one residence in Wilde’s day.

The musician who is so significant in Wilde’s work.

Prince’s Hall, Piccadilly, venue of Wilde’s first UK lecture.

 

Wilde Walk by Anne Gaelan

The astounding Oscar Wilde lounge in the Café Royal

The ceiling of the Oscar Wilde lounge, The Cafe Royal London

Oscar’s table!

Poet at the Cafe Royal

Mr Neil Titley read as Wilde in excerpts of his first trial. Mr Darcy Sullivan played Carson.

Prince’s Hall, Piccadilly, venue of Wilde’s first UK lecture.

Site of Wilde’s publisher, John Lane

Lane’s nephew Allen founded Penguin books.

St James’ Place where Wilde entertained young men.

Number 10 and 11 were one residence in Wilde’s day.

The musician who is so significant in Wilde’s work.

What is left of the theatre that produced Lady Windermere’s fan. The plaque is of Dorian Gray.

The Society walk ended here at Theatre Royal Haymarket.

Oscar Wilde’s West End Walk for members of The Oscar Wilde Society started at the Café Royal.

The day was Saturday 29th September 2018.

Enjoy some of our experience.  Even better, join The Oscar Wilde Society.

Just click the link to find out more.

 

Poet’s Update on Arthur and Oscar

Photo of Poet by Ray Turner

 

I hope you enjoy browsing my updated site about the work of Arthur Ransome and Oscar Wilde!

Please browse around.  Comments are welcome.

This post is early or late depending on whether you have viewed this before.

Click the link to find Poet’s work!

 

 

Wilde and Crouch End

 

 

Oscar Wilde’s most famous play produced by Classic Spring is also featuring at the Art House cinema Crouch End.

Crouch End is a delightful place not overrun by tourists.

Here are some photos of the park there in Wilde’s favourite month – Autumn.