Oscar Wilde was born on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland.
He attended Oxford, where he graduated with honors in 1878. A popular society
figure known for his wit and flamboyant style, he published his own book of
poems in 1881. He spent a year lecturing on poetry in the United States, where
his dapper wardrobe and excessive devotion to art drew ridicule from some
quarters. After returning to England, Wilde married and had two children, for
whom he wrote delightful fairy tales, which were published in 1888. Meanwhile,
he wrote reviews and edited Women's World. In 1890, his only novel, The
Picture of Dorian Gray, was published serially, appearing in book form the
following year. He wrote his first play, The Duchess of Padua, in 1891
and wrote five more in the next four years. His plays, including The
Importance of Being Earnest (1895), were successful and made him a popular
and well-known writer. In 1895, the Marquess of Queensberry denounced Wilde as
a homosexual, accusing him of having an affair with her son. Wilde sued for
libel, but lost his case when evidence strongly supported the allegations.
Unfortunately, homosexuality was classified as a crime in England at the time.
Wilde was arrested, found guilty, and sentenced to two years of hard labor. Wilde
was released from prison in 1897 and fled to Paris, where his many loyal
friends visited him. He started writing again, producing The Ballad of
Reading Gaol, based on his experiences in prison. He died of acute
meningitis in 1900.
Michael Thomas Barry is the author of Literary Legends of the British Isles. The book can be purchased from
Amazon through the following links:
Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Britains-Literary-Legends-Writers/dp/0764344382/ref=la_B0035CPN70_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381937723&sr=1-5
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