Andre & Oscar: The Literary Friendship of Andre Gide and Oscar Wilde

Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating Relationship - a Disappointing Book
Review: André Gide and Oscar Wilde are two very fascinating and highly complex artists, and a study of their friendship is consequently a promising read.
However, "André & Oscar" does not quite live up to its promise. The author does no more than place episodes of both authors' lives next to each other and never really explores the profound influence that Oscar Wilde, at the time of their meeting the middle-aged High Priest of Decadence, had on both the life and artistic convictions of the young timid Protestant André Gide.
The book simply isn't deep enough. One gets the impression that the author wanted to write a popular book about a subject that is not actually fit for such a shallow approach. The literary friendship of Oscar and André is important enough to deserve a more thorough study.

Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating Relationship - a Disappointing Book
Review: André Gide and Oscar Wilde are two very fascinating and highly complex artists, and a study of their friendship is consequently a promising read.
However, "André & Oscar" does not quite live up to its promise. The author does no more than place episodes of both authors' lives next to each other and never really explores the profound influence that Oscar Wilde, at the time of their meeting the middle-aged High Priest of Decadence, had on both the life and artistic convictions of the young timid Protestant André Gide.
The book simply isn't deep enough. One gets the impression that the author wanted to write a popular book about a subject that is not actually fit for such a shallow approach. The literary friendship of Oscar and André is important enough to deserve a more thorough study.