Celebrated writer Oscar Wilde is born
Oscar Wilde is born on October 16 1854 in Dublin Ireland.He grew up in Ireland and went to England to attend Oxford where he graduated with honors in 1878.A popular society figure known for his wit and flamboyant style he published his own book of poems in 1881.
He spent a year lecturing on poetry in the United States where his dapper wardrobe and excessive devotion to art drew ridicule from some quarters.After returning to Britain Wilde married and had two children for whom he wrote delightful fairy tales which were published in 1888.Meanwhile he wrote reviews and edited Womens World.In 1890 his only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray was published serially appearing in book form the following year.
He wrote his first play The Duchess of Padua in 1891 and wrote five more in the next four years.His plays including The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) were successful and made him a popular and well-known writer.In 1895 the Marquess of Queensberry denounced Wilde as a homosexual accusing him of having an affair with the marquesss son.Wilde sued for libel but lost his case when evidence strongly supported the marquesss observations.
Unfortunately homosexuality was classified as a crime in England at the time.Wilde was arrested found guilty and sentenced to two years of hard labor.Wilde was released from prison in 1897 and fled to Paris where his many loyal friends visited him.He started writing again producing The Ballad of Reading Gaol based on his experiences in prison.
He died of acute meningitis in 1900.READ MORE How Oscar Wildes Libel Trial Backfired and Ruined His Life
