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'A remarkable book... the breadth and depth of research is astonishing' - Emma Thompson 'Eleanor Fitzsimons is to be congratulated on finding a new and eminently profitable angle from which to approach him [Wilde]: the women who were so uncommonly significant in his life.' - Simon Callow, Guardian Hailed as a gay icon and pioneer of individualism, Oscar Wilde's insistence that 'there should be no law for anybody' made him a staunch defender of gender equality. Throughout his life from his relationship to his extraordinary mother Jane and the tragedy of his sister Isola's early death to his accomplished wife Constance and a coterie of other free-thinking writers, actors and artists, women were a central aspect of his life and career. Wilde's Women is the first book to tell the story of his female friends and colleagues who traded witticisms with Wilde but also give him access to vital publicity and whose ideas he gave expression through his social comedies. Author Eleanor Fitzsimons reframes Wilde's story and his legacy through the women in his life including such fascinating figures as Florence Balcombe who left him for Bram Stoker, actress Lillie Langtry (for a while an inseparable friend) and his tragic and witty niece Dolly who bore a strong resemblance to the writer and loved fast cars, cocaine and foreign women. Full of fascinating detail and anecdotes Wilde's Women relates the untold story of how the writer played a vitally sympathetic role on behalf of many women and how they supported him in the midst of a Victorian society in the process of changing forever. AUTHOR: Eleanor Fitzsimons is a researcher, writer and journalist specialising in historical and current feminist issues. She has an MA in Women, Gender and Society from University College Dublin. In 2013, she won the Keats-Shelley Essay Prize with her essay 'The Shelleys in Ireland' and she is a contributor to the Romanticism Blog. Her work has been published in a range of newspapers and journals including The Irish Times, the Guardian, History Ireland and History Today. She is a regular radio and television contributor. Her book, Wilde's Women: How Oscar Wilde was shaped by the women he knew was published by Duckworth Overlook on 16 October 2015.

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9780715651193

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Even if you think you know all about Wilde, this highly entertaining book, packed with fascinating detail and anecdotes, will still surprise you. * The Lady * Eleanor Fitzsimons is to be congratulated on finding a new and eminently profitable angle from which to approach him [Wilde]: the women who were so uncommonly significant in his life. -- Simon Callow * Guardian * A remarkable book... the breadth and depth of research is astonishing. -- Emma Thompson A refreshing approach to a familiar life story - an approach which could profitably be taken with other literary figures, who have been judged, generally speaking, by their relationships with men. * Times Literary Supplement * An illuminating study of Oscar Wilde's life... Fitzsimons does a fascinating job of reminding us that it wasn't just the men in Wilde's life that raised him up and brought him down, but that this troupe of exceptional women played their part too. * Independent * I adored this book. It s a fascinating, readable account and is stunningly well written. * Irish Examiner * Lively new study. * Irish Times * A lively debut biography... sharply drawn portraits of a colourful cast of characters... A brisk, sympathetic look at an understudied aspect of Wilde's eventful life. * Kirkus * lively and comprehensive. * The Women's History Association of Ireland * Fitzsimons has produced a thought-provoking and illuminating read that is sure to offer new lines of thought for even the most knowledgeable Wilde fan. Thoroughly readable and accessible, this is a must for students of Wilde of those who just have an appreciation of the man and his work. * We Love This Book * A well-written, deeply researched, and detailed biographical portrait of the many women in Wilde's life, from his mother and wife to actresses and socialites * Library Journal * Highly enjoyable and generally reliable. * Washington Post * I'm hugely grateful to Eleanor for sharing this book with me, it's been a joy to read and is meticulously researched. You can feel her passion for the subject leaping from the pages, and it's contagious! * Sheroes of History * Fitzsimmons is showing us another kind of reality... a real person through the eyes of the many women who knew [Oscar Wilde]. * The Independent * A great read, a great book, a great writer * Sean Mahon * Fresh insights and entertaining asides... brings some interesting figures from Oscar s world into a rewarding new focus * Matthew Sturgis, Literary Review * the work of a lifetime and a labour of love -- Patrick Madigan * The Heythrop * Captures powerful female voices and portrays a group of bold and fearless women who stood by their beliefs and by Oscar when many others would not * The Wildean *

Fitzsimmons is showing us another kind of reality... a real person through the eyes of the many women who knew [Oscar Wilde]. * The Independent * I'm hugely grateful to Eleanor for sharing this book with me, it's been a joy to read and is meticulously researched. You can feel her passion for the subject leaping from the pages, and it's contagious! * Sheroes of History * Highly enjoyable and generally reliable. * Washington Post * A well-written, deeply researched, and detailed biographical portrait of the many women in Wilde's life, from his mother and wife to actresses and socialites * Library Journal * Fitzsimons has produced a thought-provoking and illuminating read that is sure to offer new lines of thought for even the most knowledgeable Wilde fan. Thoroughly readable and accessible, this is a must for students of Wilde of those who just have an appreciation of the man and his work. * We Love This Book * lively and comprehensive. * The Women's History Association of Ireland * A lively debut biography... sharply drawn portraits of a colourful cast of characters... A brisk, sympathetic look at an understudied aspect of Wilde's eventful life. * Kirkus * Lively new study. * Irish Times * I adored this book. It s a fascinating, readable account and is stunningly well written. * Irish Examiner * An illuminating study of Oscar Wilde's life... Fitzsimons does a fascinating job of reminding us that it wasn't just the men in Wilde's life that raised him up and brought him down, but that this troupe of exceptional women played their part too. * Independent * A refreshing approach to a familiar life story - an approach which could profitably be taken with other literary figures, who have been judged, generally speaking, by their relationships with men. * Times Literary Supplement * A remarkable book... the breadth and depth of research is astonishing. -- Emma Thompson Eleanor Fitzsimons is to be congratulated on finding a new and eminently profitable angle from which to approach him [Wilde]: the women who were so uncommonly significant in his life. -- Simon Callow * Guardian * Even if you think you know all about Wilde, this highly entertaining book, packed with fascinating detail and anecdotes, will still surprise you. * The Lady *

'Engaging and sympathetic biography, which also illustrates extremely well the circles of artistic and literary women of the time.' Independent on Sunday 'Over a century on, Oscar Wilde continues to hypnotise us... Eleanor Fitzsimmons is to be congratulated.' Simon Callow, Guardian 'Lively new study... providing a broad cultural history of professional women's lives in Wilde's time.' The Irish Times

Author Information

WC Eleanor Fitzsimons is a researcher, writer, journalist and occasional broadcaster, specialising in historical and current feminist issues. Her work has been published in a range of newspapers and journals including The Sunday Times, Guardian and The Irish Times and she is a regular radio and television contributor.

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