irish writer oscar wilde 1854 1900

OSCAR FINGAL O FLAHERTIE WILLS WILDE (1854 - 1900)


Oscar Wilde was born 16th October 1854 in Westland Row, Dublin. He studied at Trinity College Dublin graduating with first class honours in classics and humanities. His literary talent had already began to emerge at Oxford where he won the Newdigate Poetry Prize with a poem entitled "Ravenna".
He published his first volume of poems in 1881. The following year he went on the lecture circuit in the United States and Canada lecturing on "Aesthetic philosophy". Asked at customs whether he had anything to declare, he replied "only my genius". The effervescent wit which was to characterise his later plays was always to the fore.

The same year he married Constance Lloyd and they had two sons. After a couple of near misses, his first stage triumph was "Lady Windermere's Fan" which was an instant success. This was to be followed by "A Woman of No Importance", "An Ideal Husband" and "The Importance of Being Earnest".
In 1892 he wrote the play of "Solome's" betrayal of John the Baptist. This was during the reign of Queen Victoria and its portrayal of biblical characters ensured that it was banned.

It was at this time that Wilde befriended Lord Alfred Douglas. Lord Alfred's father the Marquess of Queensbury accused Wilde in public of having a homosexual relationship with his son. At this time, homosexuality wasn't just illegal, it was viewed as an unnatural practice such as bestiality.

Wilde was left with no other choice but to sue for slander. A criminal prosecution followed. He was convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment. After his release he wrote "The Ballad of Reading Gaol", which tells of his experiences in prison.
He was a broken man. He died in Paris in 1900 and is buried in the cemetary of Pere Lachaise. In 1905 his prose apologia, "De Profundis" was published.