STEPHEN FRY PRESENTS A SELECTION OF OSCAR WILDE'S SHORT STORIES

It would take a pretty sophisticated kid to fully understand the breadth of Wilde's satire in these short fables, which are a wonderful mix of funny and sad, odd and magical. There are encounters between all manner of creatures, including inanimate objects given voice and ego—fireworks converse with frogs, statues with swallows, giants with children, and much fun is poked at hypocrisy and inequality, pretense, and self-importance. Stephen Fry is a delight, narrating with obvious whole-hearted appreciation and respect for the source material. For having such a distinctive voice and distinguished delivery, he still manages to recede into the background, letting the craft of Wilde's language come to the fore. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2009]