Biography Oscar Wilde

 

Oscar Wilde was born on 16 October 1854 and died on 30 November 1900. He was the youngest son of Sir William and Lady Jane Wilde. His mother was a nationalist writer and also translated books from French and German. His father was an esteemed surgeon. Oscar studied languages at Trinity College in Dublin. He was a brilliant student and received the Berkeley Gold Medal. Later he studied at Magdalen College in Oxford, where he received the Newdigate Prize for his poem “Ravenna”. In Oxford, he was well known for his involvement in the rising philosophy of aestheticism. When Oscar Wilde graduated, he started to write plays.

 

In Victorian England (1891), Oscar was sentenced on charges of indecency. He was convicted and sentenced to two years of imprisonment at forced labour. During his time in prison, he wrote long letters and poems to a former lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. These poems were published after his death and named De Profundis.

 

After release from prison, he fell ill and spent his final years in France, in great poverty. He died of meningitis at the age of 46. Oscar Wilde is buried at Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris. 

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel written by Oscar Wilde, which was published in 1890. It is a classic Gothic fairy tale with a Faustian theme.

 

Oscar Wilde became famous for his plays. Beginning in 1892, he released one play annually, namely: Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892). Afterwards A woman of no importance, (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895) and in that same year his masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest, in which he mocked the aristocracy. Some of his plays are still being played and The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband where made into movies.

 

Wilde also wrote fairy tales; The Happy Prince and Other Tales included "The Happy Prince", "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Selfish Giant", "The Devoted Friend", and "The Remarkable Rocket".

 

The Happy Prince and Other Tales is a collection of tales, published in 1888.

 

The Happy Prince and Other Tales was originally written for children. Wilde read the fairy tales to his children Vyvyan and Cyril. He read to his children from his own signed copy. This copy is kept in the Hyde Collection in New Jersey.