Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was born on October 16 1854 in Dublin. His mother Lady Jane Francesca Wilde was a successful poet and journalist. His father was a leading ear and eye surgeon, a renowned philanthropist, and a writer. Wilde went to school at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Trinity College, Dublin and Magdalen College, Oxford. While he was attending Oxford, he became a part of the "Art for Art's Sake" movement and while at Magdalen, he won the he won the 1878 Newdigate Prize for his poem Ravenna.

He moved to Chelsea so that he could start a literary career. He lectured in the United States, Canada, Britain, and Ireland. From the mid-1800s he was a regular contributor for Pall Mall Gazette and Dramatic View.

Wilde married Constance Lloyd on May 29, 1884. They had two boys, Cyril and Vyvyan. In order to support his family, Wilde got a job as an editor of Woman's World magazine. He published The Happy Prince and Other Tales in 1888, which were fairy-stories written for his two sons. His first on only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was published in 1891 and received a lot of negative criticism due to its homoerotic overtones. In 1891, Wilde began his affair with Lord Alfred Douglas who became the love of is life as well as his downfall. Wilde's marriage ended in 1893.

Wilde's greatest talent was in his play writing. His first play was "Lady Windermere's Fan." After the success of this play, he wrote a string of comedies that included "A Woman of No Importance," "An Ideal Husband," and "The Importance of Being Earnest."

Wilde tried to sue the Marquis of Queensberry, Douglas's father, for accusing him of being a homosexual. He was unsuccessful and was ended up arrested and sentenced to two years hard labor for the crime of sodomy. While in prison he wrote De Profundis, a dramatic monologue and autobiography, which was dedicated to Douglas.

After Wilde was released he wrote “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” in order to reveal his concern for the inhuman prison conditions. He spent the rest of his life wondering Europe and died of cerebral meningitis on November 30, 1900, penniless, in a cheap Paris hotel.

Wilde Bibliography