サザビーズさんのインスタグラム写真 - (サザビーズInstagram)「Oscar Wilde’s “Confessions”: Wilde filled in this questionnaire when he was on the cusp of stardom in 1877. His replies sparkle with ebullience and wit – exactly what you would expect from this bold young writer, still in his early twenties but already experiencing his first taste of fame. 🌟 Across 39 questions he details all his favourite - and least favourite - things: Your idea of happiness? ‘Absolute power over men’s minds, even if accompanied by chronic toothache’ Your idea of misery? ‘Living a poor and respectable life in an obscure village’ What is your dream? ‘Getting my hair cut’ What is your favourite object in nature? ‘The sea (when there are no bathing machines)’ 🌊 Book to take up for an hour? ‘I never take up books for an hour’ What are the sweetest words in the world? ‘Well done!’ What are the saddest words? ‘Failure’ This questionnaire - likely filled in for an admiring fan - freezes the young Oscar in a moment in time, but also provides a chilling prophecy of what was to come. His answer to the final question ‘What is your aim in life?’ reads ‘fame, or even notoriety’. This slice of literary history comes to sale from the collection of actor and director Steven Berkoff (b.1937), the villain in James Bond’s Octopussy who has a special connection with Oscar Wilde, having directed an interpretation of Salome to great acclaim in the 1980s. It was around this time that he started collecting first editions of Wilde’s works (a number of which we are offering in our sale this week), and of course this album too. Bidding on Sotheby’s Summer Miscellany Sale of Books and Manuscripts closes at 14.00 BST today. #SothebysBooks #OscarWilde 📖」8月4日 18時38分