Oscar Wilde

Óscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish playwright, poet, and author, born in Dublin in 1854. Wilde was renowned for his wit, his profound philosophy, and the memorable aphorisms he coined. He was educated at Trinity College in Dublin and later at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he embraced aestheticism and established an aesthetic cult. In 1884, Wilde married Constance Lloyd, and they had two sons together in 1885 and 1886.

Wilde's literary career took off with the publication of his novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" in 1891, and he further solidified his reputation with his social comedies, including "Lady Windermere's Fan" (1892), "A Woman of No Importance" (1893), "An Ideal Husband" (1895), and "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895). These works established him as one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London and a celebrated figure of his time.

However, Wilde's life took a dramatic turn when he was prosecuted for "gross indecency" with other men, following a widely covered series of trials. As a result, he was sentenced to two years of hard labor in prison, an experience that led him to write "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" (1898) and his confessional letter, "De Profundis" (1905). After his release from prison in 1897, Wilde lived in obscurity in Europe and died in poverty in Paris in 1900. Despite his tragic end, Wilde's works continue to be widely performed and celebrated for their timeless wisdom and humor.