Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on October 16, 1854, in Dublin, Ireland. His parents were William Wilde, a well-known doctor, and Jane Francesca Elgee – a poet and a gifted linguist. Oscar had an older brother, William Charles Kingsbury, who was born on September 26, 1852, and a younger sister, Isola Emily Francesca, who was born on April 2, 1857. Unfortunately, Emily died 10 years later from a sudden fever.
Oscar was deeply affected by his sister’s death, carrying with him a lock of her hair sealed in an envelope. Oscar and his brother studied at the Portora Royal School in Enniskillen. During his studies, Oscar stood out from the other students, and he got a scholarship.
Oscar lost his father on April 19, 1876, and his family faced some financial problems. However, that situation did not affect Oscar’s studies, and he continued to do well at Oxford. After college, Oscar went to London, and in 1881, he published his first collection of poetry, called Poems.
In the same year, Oscar traveled to New York and started a journey across the United States, where he delivered a series of lectures on aesthetics. During the trip, he met Henry Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Walt Whitman. After returning to Europe, Oscar married Constance Lloyd on May 29, 1884. Constance was a well-read woman, with an independent mind. The couple had two sons – Cyril, in 1885, and Vyvyan, in 1886 – and Oscar started working at the Woman’s World Magazine to support his family.
Oscar published The Happy Prince and Other Tales, in 1888, and The House of Pomegranates, in 1892 – both collections of children stories. The Picture of Dorian Gray, his only novel, was published in an American magazine in 1890. Lady Windermere’s Fan, his first play, opened in February 1892, followed by A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895), and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Oscar’s plays were acclaimed, and he was recognized as a skilled playwright.
In 1891, Oscar met Lord Alfred Douglas.
They became lovers, and they had been together for four years, when Oscar was arrested, due to his relationship with Alfred. Constance took the children to Switzerland and changed their family name.
When he was set free, Oscar wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol, published in 1898. Oscar wandered Europe the last three years of his life. He was either staying with his friends or living in inexpensive hotels. Oscar Wilde died on November 30, 1900, due to meningitis.