Oscar wilde books biography and list of works author of. Considered one of the greatest the importance of being earnest is a farce, playing with love, religion, and truth as it tells the tale of two men. Wildes last work, the ballad of reading gaol, was written shortly after his release from prison in 1897. There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book, writes wilde, books are well written or badly written. The best books on oscar wilde recommended by sos eltis. Oscar wilde created his final and most lasting play, comic masterpieces of all time, the importance of being earnest, in 1895. This scene you feel is superfluous cost me terrible exhausting labour and heartrending nervewracking strain.
Today he is remembered for plays and beautiful words that have been quoted below in a compilation of 70 brilliant oscar wilde quotes. His flamboyant dress, cutting wit and eccentric lifestyle often put him at odds with the social norms. Ahead of a public reading, colm toibin visits the cell in which wilde put pen to paper. For example, when he was told to take a scene out of the importance of being earnest by the actormanager george alexander, he replied. Oscar wilde biography oscar fingal oflahertie wills wilde october 16, 1854 november 30, 1900 was an angloirish playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer. Chiefly remembered today as a playwright, especially for the importance of being earnest, and as the author of the picture of dorian gray. Famous authors who wrote only one novel books tell you why. Oscar fingal oflahertie wills wilde 16 october 1854 30 november 1900 was an irish poet and playwright.
The ballad of reading goal was among the last written works of oscar wilde. Oscar fingal oflahertie wills wilde 16 october 1854 30 november 1900 was an irish writer and poet. There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Imprisoned for indecency in a lessenlightened time, oscar wildes stint in prison was unpleasant, filled with hard labor, isolation, and constant supervision, but he was eventually allowed writing materials when the warden decided it might be therapeutic. He attended trinity college, dublin, from 1871 to 1874 and magdalen college, oxford, from 1874 to 1878. The picture of dorian gray, wildes only novel besides seven plays as well as several works of short fiction, poetry, nonfiction and two fairy tale collections originally written for his two sons, is critical to an understanding of wildes body of work and his personality primarily for two reasons. Wilde was born of professional and literary parents. A charming, bittersweet tale criticising the behavior of the upper classes. Oscar wilde books biography and list of works author. While his most famous works, the picture of dorian gray and the importance of being earnest, live on, wilde is most frequently remembered for his wit. Apr, 2016 this post was written in collaboration with author and independent scholar thomas wright. A popular perception persists of oscar wilde as an idle aesthete.
Oscar wilde books list of books by author oscar wilde. The aesthete napoleon sarony american, 18211896, oscar wilde, 1882. Top 10 books by oscar wilde best book recommendations. Hyde recorded in the annotated oscar wilde that yeats called it a great or almost great poem, but the fact that he chose only thirtyeight of the poems 109 stanzas for publication in the oxford book of modern verse suggests his awareness. Jane wilde was a niece by marriage of the novelist, playwright and clergyman charles maturin 1780 1824, who may have. His flamboyant dress, cutting wit and eccentric lifestyle often put.
Top 10 books by oscar wilde best book recommendations, best. A life by matthew sturgis is published by head of zeus. Oscar wilde books, ebooks, audiobooks, biography barnes. Oscar wilde was born in dublin, ireland, on october 16, 1854.
It is a carefully cultivated image that wilde developed. This is a bibliography of works by oscar wilde, a latevictorian irish writer. From his outsize celebrity in victorian london to his authorship of fiction, drama, and poetry that uniquely captured his era, its fair to say that wilde succeeded on both counts. The best books on oscar wilde five books expert recommendations. In 1891 wilde published a house of pomegranates, a collection of fantasy tales, and in 1892 gained commercial and critical success with his play, lady windermeres fan he followed this comedy with a woman of no importance 1893, an ideal husband 1895, and his most famous play, the. Browse audiobooks written by oscar wilde sorted by best.
Poems, novels, plays, and fairy tails by oscar wilde and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Mckenna charts wildes astonishing odyssey through londons sexual underworld, and provides explosive new evidence of the political machinations behind wildes trials for sodomy. The butterfly for butterflies fits in with wilde s selfimage as an intellectual aesthete. Wilde described it as written by a butterfly for butterflies. Oscar wilde biography and list of works oscar wilde books. The everquotable oscar wilde once said, anybody can make history.
Discount prices on books by oscar wilde, including titles like salome german edition. At oxford, he received the newdigate prize for his long poem ravenna t. Oscar wilde reached the epitome of popularity, and literary brilliance in an era when the everflourishing victorian era was sweeping through the colonial empires of the world, and of course in its very home london. Books by wilde, oscar sorted by popularity project gutenberg. Oct 10, 2019 author oscar wilde was known for his acclaimed works including the picture of dorian gray and the importance of being earnest, as well as his brilliant wit, flamboyant style and infamous. The poem was written after two years after oscar wilde was released from prison and the poem focuses on the execution of one of the prison inmate who was in the same.
Author oscar wilde was known for his acclaimed works including the picture of dorian gray and the importance of being earnest, as well as his brilliant wit, flamboyant style and infamous. Thomas louis, who had earlier translated books on wilde into french, produced his own lesprit d oscar wilde in 1920. One of the most famous and most frequently quoted statements about the moral responsibility of artists can be found in oscar wilde s preface to his novel the picture of dorian gray. The picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde, the importance of being earnest by oscar wilde, the canterville ghost by oscar w. It didnt win wilde any friends with literary critics, who called the novel everything from effeminate to unclean. Dazzlingly written and meticulously researched, the secret life of oscar wilde offers a vividly original portrait of a troubled genius who chose to martyr himself for. The picture of dorian gray, wilde s only novel besides seven plays as well as several works of short fiction, poetry, nonfiction and two fairy tale collections originally written for his two sons, is critical to an understanding of wilde s body of work and his personality primarily for two reasons. His private correspondence has also been published. Poet, playwright and novelist oscar wilde was born october 16, 1854 in dublin. Oscar wilde the everquotable oscar wilde 18541900 was an irish playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet who delighted victorian england with his legendary wit. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of londons most popular playwrights in the early 1890s.
Oscar wilde, in full oscar fingal oflahertie wills wilde, born october 16, 1854, dublin, irelanddied november 30, 1900, paris, france, irish wit, poet, and dramatist whose reputation rests on his only novel, the picture of dorian gray 1891, and on his comic masterpieces lady windermeres fan 1892 and the importance of being earnest 1895. His mother, lady jane francesca wilde 182096, was a poet and journalist. Oscar wilde there is no such thing as a moral or an. One of the greatest novelist, storyteller, poet and. Mckenna charts wilde s astonishing odyssey through londons sexual underworld, and provides explosive new evidence of the political machinations behind wilde s trials for sodomy. Oscar was two years younger than his brother, william willie wilde. Thousands of free ebooks of classic literature for kindle, tablet, online browser or smart phone. Always eager to please, wilde revised the novel but directed the rest of his energies to plays and poetry. Oscar wilde 18541900 was born in dublin to unconventional parents. His father, sir william wilde, was irelands leading ear and eye surgeon, who also published books on archaeology, folklore, and the satirist jonathan swift. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading oscar wilde. Oscar wilde wrote plenty of plays and poetry, but the picture of dorian gray 1890 would be his only novel. Oscar wilde was a playwright, novelist, poet and celebrity in late nineteenth century london. His mother, who wrote under the name speranza, was a revolutionary poet and an authority on celtic myth and folklore after attending portora royal school, enniskillen 186471.