Oscar Wilde was many things - a playwright, novelist, poet, critic, editor, art reviewer, lecturer, and one of the greatest celebrities of his time. He is one of the greatest playwrights of the Victorian era, known for his wit and audacity.
He was born in Dublin, Ireland on October 16, 1854, a second son born into a prominent Anglo-Irish family. His father, Sir William Wilde (1815 - 1876), was a renowned surgeon and gifted writer. His mother, Lady Jane Francesca Wilde (1820-1896), was a successful poet and journalist publishing under the pen name Speranza.
Wilde was educated at Trinity College, Dublin (1871-74) and Magdalen College, Oxford (1874-78), where he won Newdigate Prize for his poem Ravenna. While at Oxford, he became a proponent of aestheticism, an artistic movement that promoted beauty and pleasure above all else - art for art's sake.
In 1881, he published his first volume of poems. At that time he worked as an art reviewer, lecturer and editor. In 1884 he married Constance Lloyd with whom he had two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan.
In 1888 he published The Happy Prince and Other Tales, a volume of fairy-tales written for his two sons. His only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was published in 1891 and was denounced by critics as decadent.
In 1891, when he was 38 years old, he met a 22 year old English poet Lord Alfred Douglas, nicknamed Bosie. He began an affair with Bosie, son of the Marquis of Queensberry, which eventually lead to his ruin.
In 1890s Wilde became widely known as one of the most prominent playwrights. During this years he wrote Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895), and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), which is still packing theaters today.
In 1895 he lost a libel action against the Marquis of Queensberry, whose son Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie) he had been infatuated with since 1891. He was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment for homosexual offences.
When he was released from prison in May, 1897, he moved to Paris. Inspired by his experience in prison, he wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898). He died of cerebral meningitis on November 30, 1900, in a cheap Paris hotel.
He was born in Dublin, Ireland on October 16, 1854, a second son born into a prominent Anglo-Irish family. His father, Sir William Wilde (1815 - 1876), was a renowned surgeon and gifted writer. His mother, Lady Jane Francesca Wilde (1820-1896), was a successful poet and journalist publishing under the pen name Speranza.
Wilde was educated at Trinity College, Dublin (1871-74) and Magdalen College, Oxford (1874-78), where he won Newdigate Prize for his poem Ravenna. While at Oxford, he became a proponent of aestheticism, an artistic movement that promoted beauty and pleasure above all else - art for art's sake.
In 1881, he published his first volume of poems. At that time he worked as an art reviewer, lecturer and editor. In 1884 he married Constance Lloyd with whom he had two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan.
In 1888 he published The Happy Prince and Other Tales, a volume of fairy-tales written for his two sons. His only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was published in 1891 and was denounced by critics as decadent.
In 1891, when he was 38 years old, he met a 22 year old English poet Lord Alfred Douglas, nicknamed Bosie. He began an affair with Bosie, son of the Marquis of Queensberry, which eventually lead to his ruin.
In 1890s Wilde became widely known as one of the most prominent playwrights. During this years he wrote Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895), and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), which is still packing theaters today.
In 1895 he lost a libel action against the Marquis of Queensberry, whose son Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie) he had been infatuated with since 1891. He was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment for homosexual offences.
When he was released from prison in May, 1897, he moved to Paris. Inspired by his experience in prison, he wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898). He died of cerebral meningitis on November 30, 1900, in a cheap Paris hotel.
About the Author:
Alan Sperry loves reading Victorian authors and he really admires Oscar Wilde frases. To learn more about wilde, see Life of Oscar Wilde.
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