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The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Writings is a collection of novellas and short stories by Oscar Wilde. Summary of the Book In a modern and narcissistic spin on the Faust legend, Oscar Wilde spins the macabre tale of Dorian Gray. Basil Hallward is a young artist who is obsessed with portraying the handsomeness of Dorian Gray in a picture. Dorian takes a look at his portrait and reflects on the fact that his beauty will fade with time while the picture remains uncorrupted. He makes a wish that if only the opposite were true. In a Faustian twist of fate, his wish comes true and, through the years, Dorian retains his youthful appearance. The painting, however, begins to age and takes on the ugliness of old age that Dorian himself should have. Soon, people around him begin to realize that Dorian isn’t normal. In bleak irony, Dorian’s own nature becomes as ugly as his picture. He becomes vainer, selfish and inhumanly callous as his sadistic cruelty begins to surface. When paranoia grips him that his secret could be revealed, he begins to spare no one any of his charm. This is the classic story of one man’s journey to find the meaning of beauty and his coming-to-terms with the inevitability of old age and death. This book also contains some of Wilde’s best known work, including De Profundis and The Ballad of Reading Gaol. The book contains explanatory notes which elaborate on the historical and cultural significance of the work, the author’s personal history, and how this book impacted the future of literature. About Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet best remembered for his epigrams, his plays, and the circumstances of his imprisonment and early death. He is also one of the foremost gay icons of latter half of the 20th century. The above book was adapted into several films over the years, including one version by Oliver Parker, starring Ben Barnes as Dorian Gray, Ben Chaplin as Basil Hallward and Colin Firth as Henry Wotton.