A review by nusighba
The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde

5.0

If I admire Oscar Wilde, as a person instead of an author, for any one of his works, it would be this. This work of poetry is written in a very simple manner, which can be easily grasped by anyone, and some might think of the rhyming structure to be serving to a younger audience, contrary to those of us who have read poetries qualifying as literary works, having a more mature structure. But none of this matters, when you know that all of this has been written out of the pain, torment and helplessness Wilde felt while spending two years being imprisoned and tortured through hard labour, because of acting upon his homosexuality. Wilde accounts all the events that had occurred during his imprisonment through the art of poetry. This is so beautiful in the most tragic way, and should be given the same importance as any other literary masterpiece. The ghastly conditions he suffered through for two years left such an impact on his health that he had passed away soon after being released.
I absolutely loved this work.