ONE CITY, one book – and one grandson. Merlin Holland, the sole grandchild of Oscar Wilde, was guest of honour yesterday at Dublin City Library for the official launch of Dublin’s month-long “One City, One Book” festival.
Wilde's only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, first published in 1890, is this year's choice. The idea is that as many Dubliners as possible will be reading and discussing the book all through April, supported by a series of city-wide events associated with the novel.
This is the fifth year that Dublin has participated in the One City, One Book project, an international library-based initiative designed to encourage reading in cities. (Colm Tóibín's Brooklynis currently Chicago's One City, One Book choice.)
The Picture of Dorian Grayexplores what happens when Dorian Gray barters his soul in exchange for the appearance of external youth. He does not age, but his unseen portrait in an attic does, taking on an ever-more hideous and disturbing appearance as the years pass by and his sins increase.
Formally launching the festival, Lord Mayor Emer Costello mischievously referred to the many “timeless portraits of former mayors hanging in the Mansion House”. She said she “sometimes looked at them and wondered” what would have happened if the portraits of predecessors had similarly aged as time passed. “What would they look like today?” she asked rhetorically.
The Lord Mayor also referred to the fact that Dublin is currently under consideration by Unesco to be designated a City of Literature, and that she was hopeful their bid would be successful. “We hope that designation will arrive shortly.”
With his distinctive jawline and abundant hair, Merlin Holland bears a striking resemblance to his famous grandfather; a visual and actual intersection with history. "In many ways, The Picture of Dorian Grayis about the danger of selling anything that is your birthright. In that sense, the story has a very modern ring," he said.
After Wilde was publicly disgraced and sentenced to prison, his wife, Constance, changed the family name to Holland to avoid public derision. Has Merlin Holland, who lives in France, ever thought about changing his name back?
“Changing my name won’t bring my grandfather back to life, nor alter the fact that my grandmother had an unhappy life,” he replied soberly. “I did think about it briefly, but then I decided it’s history, and the fact that I have the name Holland still tells you something important today about the way my grandfather was treated by society.”
An exhibition themed around Dorian Gray will run at Dublin City Library on Pearse Street throughout April. Costume designer Inez Nordell worked with students at the National College of Art and Design to come up with their interpretation of modern versions of Dorian Gray.
The most striking exhibit of the multimedia show is a large portrait by Nordell of her impression of Dorian Gray. NCAD student Patrick Hough has digitised the portrait in such a way that, over time, the face changes gradually as you watch and becomes a study of undisguised evil.
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The Picture of Dorian Grayis also The Irish Times Book Club choice for April
