Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was a playwright, poet, essayist, and wit, now as famous for his flamboyant lifestyle and epigrams as for his plays, poems, and fiction. His first collection, Poems, was published in 1881. After his marriage in 1884, he published several books of stories for children, originally written for his own sons. Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime appeared shortly before his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891). After 1890 Wilde had increasing success on stage with his shrewd and sparkling comedies, Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895) and his masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).