Oscar Wilde

Born in Dublin in 1854, Oscar Wilde became one of the best-known literary figures of the late 19th century. He studied at Trinity College Dublin and later at Oxford, where he became closely associated with the Aesthetic movement and its love of beauty, style, and art for art’s sake.

Wilde wrote poetry, stories, criticism, and one novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, but he is especially remembered for his plays. Works such as Lady Windermere’s Fan, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest made him a star of the London stage, admired for dialogue that is playful, polished, and devastatingly funny.

His life changed dramatically after the trials of 1895, which led to imprisonment. After his release he lived in exile on the Continent, where he wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol. He died in Paris in 1900, but his writing has endured for generations, loved for its wit, theatrical brilliance, and unmistakable voice.