OscarWi

l
de

Phot
ogr
aphbyNapol
eonSar
ony
,c.
 
1882

Phot
ogr
aphbyNapol
eonSar
ony
,c.
 
1882

Bor
n

OscarFi
ngal
O'Fl
aher
ti
eWi
l
lsWi
l
de

16Oct
ober1854

Dubl
i
n,I
rel
and

Di
ed

30Nov
ember1900(
aged46)

Hot
eld'
Alsace,
Sai
nt-
Ger
mai
n-des-
Prés,
Par
is,
France

Bur
ied

Pèr
eLachai
seCemet
ery

Occupat
ion

Aut
horpoetpl
aywr
ight

Language

Engl
i
sh,
French,
Greek

Educat
ion

Por
tor
aRoy
alSchool

Al
mamat
er

Tr
ini
tyCol
l
egeDubl
i
n

Magdal
enCol
l
ege,
Oxf
ord

Per
iod

Vi
ctor
ianer
a

Genr
e

Epi
gram,
drama,
shor
tst
ory
,cr
it
ici
sm,
jour
nal
i
sm
Li
ter
arymov
ement

Aest
het
icmov
ement

Decadentmov
ement

Not
abl
ewor
ks

TheCant
erv
il
leGhost

ThePi
ctur
eofDor
ianGr
ay

TheI
mpor
tanceofBei
ngEar
nest

Spouse

Const
anceLl
oyd

(
​
m.1884;
died1898)
​

Chi
l
dren

Cy
ril
Hol
l
and

Vy
vyanHol
l
and

Par
ent
s

Si
rWi
l
li
am Wi
l
de(
fat
her
)

LadyJaneWi
l
de(
mot
her
)

Rel
ati
ves

Wi
l
li
eWi
l
de(
brot
her
)

Mer
li
nHol
l
and(
grandson)

Si
gnat
ure

Wilde'
sparentswereAnglo-Ir
ishint
ell
ectualsi
nDubl i
n.Ay oungWi l
delearnedtospeakfl
uent
FrenchandGer man.Atuniversit
y,Wil
der eadGreats;hedemonst ratedhimselftobean
excepti
onalcl
assici
st,
fir
statTr i
nit
yCollegeDublin,t
henatOxf ord.Hebecameassoci atedwit
h
theemergingphil
osophyofaest heti
cism, l
edbytwoofhi stutors,WalterPaterandJohnRuski
n.
Afteruni
versi
ty,
Wi l
demov edt oLondonintofashionablecul
turalandsoci alci
rcl
es.
Asaspokesmanf oraest hetici
sm, het ri
edhi shandatv ari
ousl i
teraryact i
v i
ties: hepubl isheda
bookofpoems, lecturedi nt heUni tedSt atesandCanadaont henew" EnglishRenai ssancei n
Art"andi nt
eriordecor ation, andt henr eturnedtoLondonwher ehewor kedpr olifi
callyasa
j
our nal
ist.Knownf orhisbi t
ingwi t,fl
amboy antdressandgl i
tteringconv ersat ional skil
l,Wi lde
becameoneoft hebest -knownper sonal it
iesofhisday .Att het urnoft he1890s, herefinedhi s
i
deasaboutt hesupr emacyofar tinaser i
esofdi aloguesandessay s, andi ncor poratedt hemes
ofdecadence, duplicit
y,andbeaut yintowhatwoul dbehi sonl ynov el
, ThePi ct ureofDor ianGr ay
(1890).Theoppor tunityt oconst ructaest heti
cdet ail
spr ecisely ,andcombi net hem wi thl arger
socialthemes, drewWi ldet owr itedr ama.Hewr oteSal ome( 1891)i nFr enchwhi l
einPar isbutit
wasr efusedal icencef orEngl andduet oanabsol utepr ohibit
ionont hepor tray alofBiblical
subjectsont heEngl i
shst age.Unper turbed, Wil
depr oducedf oursoci etycomedi esint heear ly
1890s, whichmadehi m oneoft hemostsuccessf ulplay wrightsofl ate- Vi
ct orianLondon.

Att heheightofhisf ameandsuccess, whileTheI mportanceofBei ngEar nest( 1895)wasst il

l
beingper formedinLondon, Wildeprosecutedt heMarquessofQueensber ryforcr i
minalli
bel.
TheMar quesswast hefatherofWi l
de'slover
, LordAlfr
edDougl as.Thel i
bel tri
alunearthed
evidencet hatcausedWi ldetodr ophischargesandl edt ohi sownar r
estandt ri
al f
orgross
i
ndecencywi thmen.Af tertwomor etri
alshewasconv ictedandsent encedt otwoy ear
s'hard
l
abour ,
themaxi mum penal ty,andwasj ai
ledfrom 1895t o1897.Duringhisl astyearinprison,
hewr oteDePr of
undi s(
publ i
shedpost humousl yin1905) ,alonglet
terwhi chdiscusseshi s
spirit
ual j
ourneythr
oughhi st r
ials,
formingadar kcounterpointt
ohisear l
ierphi l
osophyof
pleasure.Onhi srel
ease, heleftimmedi at
elyforFrance, andnev err
eturnedt oIrelandorBr i
tai
n.
Ther ehewr otehislastwor k,TheBalladofReadi ngGaol (1898)
, al
ongpoem commemor ati
ng
thehar shrhythmsofpr isonlife.

Ear
lyl
i
fe

Uni
ver
sit
yeducat
ion:
1870s

Appr
ent
iceshi
pofanaest
het
e:1880s

Pr
osewr
it
ing:
1886–1891

Theat
ri
cal
car
eer
:1892–1895

Tr
ial
s

I
mpr
isonment

Decl
i
ne:
1897–1900
Bi
ogr
aphi
es

Sel
ect
edwor
ks

Seeal
so

Not
es

Ref
erences

Fur
therr
eadi
ng

Ext
ernal
li
nks

Lastedi
ted1dayagobyGi
l
o1969

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osewr
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1870–1945

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ofundi
s(l
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Let
terwr
it
tenbyOscarWi
l
de

Bi
ogr
aphi
esofOscarWi
l
de

Wi
ki
pedi
a

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enti
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ail
abl
eunderCCBY-
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essot
her
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ed.

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ivacypol
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