The Ballad of Reading Gaol

Written by Oscar Wilde

Narrated by David Moore

The poem written by Wilde while in exile about his time in Reading Prison and the hanging of Charles Thomas Wooldridge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Saland Publishing
• Release date: Jan 6, 2011
• ISBN: 9781908338600

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was a Dublin-born poet and playwright who studied at the Portora Royal School, before attending Trinity College and Magdalen College, Oxford. The son of two writers, Wilde grew up in an intellectual environment. As a young man, his poetry appeared in various periodicals including Dublin University Magazine. In 1881, he published his first book Poems, an expansive collection of his earlier works. His only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was released in 1890 followed by the acclaimed plays Lady Windermere’s Fan (1893) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).

Reviews for The Ballad of Reading Gaol

[jonarnold_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In which Paul Cornell becomes the second Doctor Who New Adventures author to write a police procedural novel about magic in London. It’s a very different take from Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant series, inclining more towards an realistic urban, Sweeney influenced take. The great triumph here is making London feel claustrophobic with the antagonist capable of striking unexpectedly, swiftly and violently. Cornell’s regular theme of bullying and the way it can become learned behaviour are to the fore and he’s typically humane in his understanding of his antagonist’s motives. It’s an intriguing set up for the series.