Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde’s Books on PageVio
Novels
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890/1891)
Short Stories Collection
The Happy Prince, and Other Tales (1888)
A House of Pomegranates (1891)
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime; The Portrait of Mr. W.H., and Other Stories (1891)
Short Story
The Canterville Ghost (1891)
Plays
Vera; Or, The Nihilists (1880/1882)
The Duchess of Padua (1883)
Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892)
A Woman of No Importance (1893)
An Ideal Husband (1895)
The Importance of Being Ernest (1895)
Salome (1896)
Oscar Wilde Miscellaneous (incomplete, includes La Sainte Courtisane and A Florentine Tragedy)
For Love of the King: A Burmese Masque
Essays
De Profundis (1905, posthumous)
The Soul of Man under Socialism (1891)
Children in Prison and Other Cruelties of Prison Life
A Critic in Pall Mall: Being Extracts from Reviews and Miscellanies
Intentions (1891)
Poetry
The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898)
Poems, with The Ballad of Reading Gaol
Oscar Wilde Biography
Oscar Wilde is one of the most recognizable names in literature, and readers have revered his works for over a century. Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1854, and his father’s work as an eminent Victorian-era doctor heavily influenced his upbringing. Wilde went on to attend Trinity College in Dublin and Magdalen College in Oxford, where he studied classics and philosophy.
Novelist, Playwright, Poet
Wilde’s literary career began when he published his first collection of poems, Poems, in 1881. His first novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was published in 1890 and was met with mixed reviews. Despite the initial criticism, The Picture of Dorian Gray has become one of Wilde’s most famous works and is often considered a classic of English literature.
Wilde wrote several plays, novels, essays, and other works throughout his life. His plays, in particular, are renowned for their wit and humor. His most famous plays include The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband, and Lady Windermere’s Fan.
Imprisonment
Oscar Wilde was imprisoned in the late 1890s for his involvement in an illicit homosexual affair. This event marked a significant turning point in the life of one of Britain’s most beloved literary figures.
Wilde went to court after being accused by the father of his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, of sodomy and gross indecency. He denied all allegations but was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to two years of hard labor. The experience had a profound impact on both Wilde’s mental state and reputation; described as “the period which broke him,” it led to a deep depression that stayed with him until his death three years later at age 46.
Wilde is remembered as one of the most influential writers of his time. His work has been adapted for stage and screen, and his legacy lives on in the form of quotes, plays, and literature. To this day, Oscar Wilde continues to be an inspiration to many aspiring writers and readers alike.