Memoirs & Coffee Book Group to Discuss "The Canterville Ghost" at Bernardsville Library

The next meeting of Bernardsville Public Library’s book discussion group, Memoirs and Coffee, will be held on Tuesday, October 25 at 10:30 am in the library’s Community Room. Manager Pat Kennedy-Grant will lead the discussion of the One Book Bernardsville selection, "The Canterville Ghost" (1887) by Oscar Wilde and of "Oscar Wilde: A Certain Genius" (2000) by Barbara Belford.

"The Canterville Ghost" is a tale of an American family whose patriarch is the American Minister to the Court of St. James. The family arrives in England and moves into a British mansion, Canterville Chase, much to the annoyance its tired ghost. The whole family refuses to believe in the ghost or to be afraid of him. It is Wilde's commentary on the British nobility of the day and on the Americans, too.

Belford's biography was published for the centenary of Wilde's death in 1900. The Irish playwright, poet and author of numerous short stories was one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day.

One Book Bernardsville is the Library’s third annual community reading project. During October, all things ghost were celebrated including discussions of the story, watching the 1944 movie based on it, and learning about our own local ghost, Phyllis, of the old Vealtown Tavern. The month will end with a fundraiser at The Bernards Inn on Friday, October 28 with dinner and a book signing by L’Aura Hladik Hoffman, author of “Ghosthunting New Jersey.” For more information on this event, go to http://www.bernardsvillelibrary.org/program/laura-hladik.

There is no charge to join the book discussion and no registration is needed. Call the library at 766-0118 for more information.