See the handwritten pages that became "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Apparently, it’s historical-literary-trials week. 

Oscar Wilde’s grandson has released a new book of Wilde’s handwritten manuscripts for what would become The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Merlin Holland’s collection of the same title can be considered the “urtext” of the novel, in his words, and includes a number of homoerotic passages that were removed from the serialized version for the final, complete publication.

Holland told The New York Times that his grandfather’s “full text would later be used in court as ‘circumstantial proof that Wilde was homosexual’ — a charge that sent him to prison.”

This new version of The Picture of Dorian Gray costs $250, so readers on a budget may have to content themselves with the sneak peek available on the NYT website.

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