Oscar Wilde
Born 16 October 1854 · Died 30 November 1900
From Dublin, Dublin City, Ireland · Nationality: Ireland, France, United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland · Writes fiction and nonfiction
An Irish writer, poet, and prominent aesthete.
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish playwright, poet, and author of numerous short stories, and one novel. Known for his biting wit, and a plentitude of aphorisms, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Several of his plays continue to be widely performed, especially The Importance of Being Earnest.
As the result of a widely covered series of trials, Wilde suffered a dramatic downfall and was imprisoned for two years hard labour after being convicted of "gross indecency" with other men. After Wilde was released from prison he set sail for Dieppe by the night ferry. He never returned to Ireland or Britain, and died in poverty.
Quotes
“After the first glass you see things as you wish they were. After the second glass you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.”
Said about Absinthe. Quoted in Ada Leverson, Letters to the Sphinx from Oscar Wi “Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one’s head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace.”
The Canterville Ghost 1887 “A simile committing suicide is always a depressing spectacle.”
"The Poets' Corner III", The Pall Mall Gazette 30 May 1887 “It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.”
The Model Millionaire 1912 “The more we study Art, the less we care for Nature. What Art really reveals to us is Nature’s lack of design, her curious crudities, her extraordinary monotony, her absolutely unfinished condition.”
Intentions 1891
Quotes from Wikiquote (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Books by Oscar Wilde in order
Books by Oscar Wilde in the order they were published, from Poems (1881) to Poetry (2024).
- 1Poems
Poems1881 - 2Kentervil'skoe Prividenie
Kentervil'skoe Prividenie1887 - 3The Happy Prince and Other Fairy Tales
The Happy Prince and Other Fairy Tales1888 - 4Lady Windermere’s Fan
Lady Windermere’s Fan1890 - 5The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Picture of Dorian Gray1890 - 6A House of Pomegranates
A House of Pomegranates1891 - 7Intentions
Intentions1891 - 8The Soul of Man Under Socialism, The Socialist Ideal Art, an
The Soul of Man Under Socialism, The Socialist Ideal Art, and The Coming Solidarity1891 - 9A Woman of No Importance
A Woman of No Importance1893 - 10Salome, a Play
Salome, a Play1893 - 11The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest1893 - 12The Ballad of Reading Gaol
The Ballad of Reading Gaol1896 - 13An Ideal Husband
An Ideal Husband1899 - 14El retrato de Dorian Gray
El retrato de Dorian Gray2015 - 15Only Dull People Are Brilliant at Breakfast
Only Dull People Are Brilliant at Breakfast2016 - 16Poetry
Poetry2024 - 17Complete Works of Oscar Wilde
Complete Works of Oscar Wilde - 18De Profundis
De Profundis - 19The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde
The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde - 20The Happy Prince
The Happy Prince - 21The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays
The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays - 22The Nightingale and the Rose
The Nightingale and the Rose - 23The Selfish Giant
The Selfish Giant