Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde, by many people considered one of the finest authors of all times, was born on 16 October 1854 in Dublin. His father, William Robert Wilde, an eminent eye doctor, was appointed Surgeon Occulist to the Queen and was knighted. His mother, Jane Speranza Francesca Wilde, wrote patriotic Irish verse under the pseudonym, Speranza.
Oscar Wilde was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and later at Oxford. While at Oxford, Oscar fell under the influence of Walter Pater and the doctrine of art for art's sake. Oscar moved to London in 1879 and set about establishing himself as the leader and model of the aesthetic movement.
Oscar married Constance Lloyd, the daughter of an Irish barrister in 1884. They had two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan.
In 1891, Oscar was introduced to Lord Alfred Douglas, or Bosie as he was called by friends. They were immediately attracted to each other and an intimate friendship/love affair was begun. It was this love affair that was the beginning of Oscar´s downfall. In 1895 he was tried and found guilty of homosexual activities and sentenced to two years of hard labor. While in prison Oscar was declared bankrupt and his house and possessions were sold to pay his debts.
Oscar Wilde left prison on 19 May 1897, and left England for France. He assumed the name Sebastian, after the well-known Christian martyr slain in a hail of arrows, and died a broken man on 30 November 1900.
1997-10-14