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The Picture of Dorian Gray
- Narrated by: Russell Tovey
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
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Summary
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.
What listeners say about The Picture of Dorian Gray
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-08-20
A classic hindered by flat performance
Stunningly beautiful and still relevant classic with no sign of ageing pardon the pun. However, Russell Tobey is woefully lacking in bringing any characters to life. Caricature work that wouldn’t look out of place in a Carry On film.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 21-03-20
Interesting concept
I really enjoyed this book, the whole concept was unexpected. The narrator spoke clearly throughout but some of the voices were a little exaggerated.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- The Man
- 11-01-22
👌
Fantastic Feat of Fantasy.
Brilliant Story Very Enjoyable.
I Have Listened To Several Times Over.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jacob Howden
- 02-11-22
Brilliant
Amazing start to finish, I think lord Henry’s opinions are amazing and Oscar Wild has used hi to project a lot of truth.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kelsey Harrendence
- 23-11-22
Made more enjoyable by the narrator
An absolutely brilliant reading. Honestly the book gets a bit boring in parts but I have to say the personality added by the different voices made me enjoy the characters that much more
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- stacey Mathews
- 16-07-23
Great classic
Some parts are a bit indulgent… writing for writing sake (chapter 11 in particular) but on the whole, a good story and read really well.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Damian Lee
- 22-06-23
Beautiful narration
An absolute classic story with beautiful narration from Russell Tovey. The voices he chose for each character were perfect and truly brought the work to life.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pj Hennessy
- 17-12-23
The poetry of the writing.
Everything was beautiful.
The poetry of the writing was captivating and I was instantly immersed. Beautiful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 11-05-20
philosophical thriller
An excellent performance of a well written philosophical thriller. it drove me into deep self reflection, very captivating
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Cat's Mother
- 28-10-21
A real treat!
Russell Tovey doesn’t read Wilde’s gothic masterpiece so much as perform it, with all the characters brought to life. The result is compulsive - rather like an evening at the theatre - and I think the author would have been proud. If you like Oscar Wilde’s work and gothic stories you’ll love this. A real treat!
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