THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, Wilde's only novel, is a variation on the Faust story, in which the title character gives up his soul in exchange for enduring youth. It's a marvelous work, and this abridgment is graceful and generous--perhaps no more than a tenth has been excised. Even the digressions on aesthetics are largely unplundered. Put this kind of raw material into the hands of Stephen Fry, and the result is a sumptuous listening experience. Fry just seems so comfortable with Wilde's writing--his characterizations are subtle, precise, consistent. And it's hard to imagine ever getting tired of his voice. D.B. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/ JAN 02]