The Canterville Ghost

Category Classics Children
Format Paperback
Imprint Rupa
Price 150

ISBN: 978-81-936-6956-3
Pages: 78 pages
Date: 20 March 2018

ABOUT THIS BOOK

‘Yes, death. Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one’s head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forget life, to be at peace. You can help me. You can open for me the portals of death’s house, for love is always with you, and love is stronger than death is.’

The Canterville Ghost is a light-hearted novella by Oscar Wilde where he parodies gothic horror as well as cultural differences between the United States and the United Kingdom. The story of an American family that moves into a castle haunted by the 300-year-old ghost of a nobleman, who had killed his wife and was himself starved to death by his wife’s brothers, this novella is laced with macabre and comedy.

The Canterville Ghost mocks not just spirits and ghosts, but also the American culture, poking fun at their bluntness and lack of social grace. One of the few stories in world literature to indulge in ghosts, this riveting read is bound to leave you in splits!

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

Playwright, novelist and poet, Oscar Wilde was born in 1854 in Dublin, Ireland. A self-proclaimed socialist, he published only one novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, followed by several witty plays such as The Importance of being Earnest, Salomé and others which catapulted him to fame. He was well-known for his flamboyant style and dramatic portrayal of his characters.