Birthdate: 16th October 1854
Nationality: Irish
Bio:
Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet and author widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of Victorian England. He was born in 1854 in Dublin to an eminent surgeon father and poet mother. Wilde demonstrated an exceptional intellect from a young age, winning multiple scholarships which allowed him to attend Trinity College Dublin and later Oxford University. While a student, he began establishing his reputation as a spokesman for the aesthetic movement through his poetry and essays championing art for art’s sake.
In the 1880s, Wilde moved to London and became immersed in the capital city’s literary and artistic scenes. His plays, including The Importance of Being Earnest, were hugely popular comedies of manners that satirized Victorian society and values. However, in 1895 Wilde’s private life led to a high-profile trial and imprisonment for gross indecency after entering into homosexual relationships. The experience had a profound impact and he wrote one of his most famous works, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, during his sentence. Released in 1897, he spent his final years in poverty and exile, passing away in 1900.
Though his life ended in disgrace, Wilde left behind an enduring legacy as one of the wittiest writers of his generation through his plays, novels, poems and essays. He continues to be widely studied for his subversive views on art, morality, sexuality and social class which challenged conservative Victorian customs. To this day, Wilde remains one of the most influential Irish writers and playwrights of all time.
