An Evening with Patrick Gillespie

Gain deeper insight into Oscar Wilde, one of literature's most fascinating and influential figures, with the guidance of a scholar. An Evening with Patrick Gillespie takes place on Sunday, June 8 at Books & Books in Coral Gables, where Florida International University Professor Michael Gillespie will discuss his new work, Reading Oscar Wilde: An Introduction.

This comprehensive interpretive guide offers both new readers and students of Wilde's work a structured approach to understanding his vast literary output and cultural significance. Gillespie's meticulously arranged volume provides standalone analyses of individual works while illuminating Wilde's pioneering contextual examinations and innovative stylistic achievements.

The book serves as both an accessible entry point for those new to Wilde and a valuable resource for more experienced readers, offering surveys of contemporary interpretive approaches, selected websites, artistic adaptations, a chronology of Wilde's publications and an extensive secondary bibliography.

Michael Patrick Gillespie brings considerable expertise to this discussion, having taught for 29 years at Marquette University, where he held positions including the inaugural Louise Edna Goeden Professor of English. Currently a Professor of English at Florida International University, his previous works have explored film, literary theory and the writings of James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and William Kennedy.

Admission to this event is free, with copies of the book available for purchase on-site.