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The Picture of Dorian Gray

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The Picture of Dorian Gray

Written by: Oscar Wilde
Narrated by: Russell Tovey
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About this listen

Exclusively from Audible

The Picture of Dorian Gray was first published in 1890 in the July edition of the Lippincott Magazine. Now, this special anniversary edition marks 50 years since the 1967 Sexual Offences Act was passed in England. 25p from every copy downloaded over the next 12 months will be donated to Stonewall, Britain’s leading LGBT charity, to help the organisation further its work in securing full equality for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people everywhere.

A damning portrayal of Victorian society, Wilde used his narrative to chastise his contemporaries for their superfluous and hypocritical values. Having also interspersed homoerotic scenes within the story, The Picture of Dorian Gray was unsurprisingly condemned for its 'indecency', forcing Wilde to publish a second, censored edition in 1891. Wilde defended his vision to the last, whilst simultaneously challenging assumptions about his private life and sexuality. He credited his inspiration for the text to the classic Faustian suggestion that given the chance, a man would undoubtedly sell his soul in exchange for eternal youth.

When the protagonist, Dorian Gray, meets with the audacious Lord Henry Wotton, he is encouraged to indulge in his most vain and hedonistic of ambitions, thereby testing the boundaries of the law and living a life of unpunished anarchy. As handsome as he is charming, Dorian beguiles those around him, in particular, the artist Basil Hallward. Hopelessly enamoured by the young socialite, Basil sets out to capture his likeness in a full-length portrait. It is the finished product which ultimately engenders Dorian the ultimate weapon; control over the passing of time.

Modern audiences now recognise The Picture of Dorian Gray as an enticing gothic masterpiece and highly astute cautionary tale. Experience the unique and fractured world created by Oscar Wilde in this new audiobook adaptation, made in collaboration with Stonewall and narrated by award-winning actor, Russell Tovey.

Narrator Biography

Russell Tovey is a TV, film and stage actor, known for The History Boys, Grabbers, Angels in America, The Night Manager, Pride, Quantico and The Pass. He has narrated many audiobooks throughout his career including, Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, Anna Sewell's Black Beauty and Mark Michalowski's Being Human.

In collaboration with Stonewall, who are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK, Tovey brings us this new adaption of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. Having starred in The Old Vic's production of Queers and The National Theatre's Angels in America, Russell is a keen advocate of LGBT rights and, bringing years of stage training experience, the perfect narrator for this epic tale of masculine beauty.

Public Domain (P)2017 Audible, Ltd
Classics Literary Fiction Psychological Thriller & Suspense

What listeners say about The Picture of Dorian Gray

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the perfect book for the generation defined by social media and the superficial

Lord Henry is a top tier shit poster. Dorian is just a sensitive Instagram model. The writing is exquisite. Oscar do be Wilding when he was writing this masterpiece, and the performance by Russell Tove elevates it to perfection. loved every second with this book

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Great narration. Intriguing story.

The story is quite intriguing and the writing style is not as archaic as one would expect from old novels. The narrator was really great and uniquely brought different characters to life.

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Awesome, I enjoyed the voice acting

It was my first audio book and I feel very happy with the experience. Really good narrator and the story is a classic for a reason!

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Perfect and Overwhelming

The narration was amazing. The drama and art it created is flawless.
Lord Henry is the one fictional charatcter i really really feel like i want to meet and talk about life and shadow and vanity etc

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A good story & performance.

Some books exude the confidence with which they were written, sort of knowing that the author it's going to be a masterpiece. I suppose this book falls in that category. At times the views expressed are downright depressing but it makes you explore your own thought process consistently. Recommended!

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Fantastic

Loved the way the author writes this amazing book. The meaning is so deep and so very interesting

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Forever contemporary

Oscar Wilde's work touches upon the nature of human soul and yearnings, which will never change with time. And for that reason, and the depth of the subject, shall this book be forever contemporary.

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Oh the reading of this.. aaaarrrrrggggghhhhh!!!!

Russell Tovey's reading of this classic is full of ejaculations rather than intonation.. it is so bad so bad that I left it ⅓rd heard.. ruined it for me.

The story of course is something else!

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1 person found this helpful