Château Sociando-Mallet 2001 Haut Médoc
Thursday, February 7th, 2008
Last night I went to see a bit of Oscar Wilde. Born in Dublin, educated and excelled at Trinity College, and Magdelen Colledge Oxford, he then observed in close quarter London Society with his acerbic wit, before being buried in Paris at the tender age of 46.
I didn’t see him in the flesh, even the rotting, grave-sodden sort. I merely remembered him through one of his plays “An Ideal Husband”. Amongst the many lessons, most extraordinary above all, was my realisation that political scandals have been around since even before my forefather’s forefather (Great Grandfather, then?) was chased from the office of Mayor of Wimbledon in the 1930s. This play was written in 1895 when Wilde was about my age, and concerns the dilemma presented when a senior politician is confronted by his secret and corrupt past, in a black-mail attempt. Does the evil Mrs Cheveley succeed in extorting her demands? You will have to read/watch the play yourself. Whilst doing so, you will not be able to resist a snigger or two at how Wilde’s observations are all too relevant to today’s society.
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