Oscar Wilde – late 19th-century Irish writer, author of The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest. A master of epigram and paradox, he mocked Victorian hypocrisy. His brilliant career ended in scandal and imprisonment, yet his works made him a symbol of aestheticism and freedom.
🎭 His plays dominated London theatre in the 1890s. 📖 The Picture of Dorian Gray shocked critics but thrilled readers. 🖋️ Famous for sharp epigrams, many now classic quotes. ⚖️ Convicted of “gross indecency” in 1895, sentenced to two years’ hard labour. 📚 Wrote the confessional De Profundis in prison. ✍️ Lived in exile in France under the name Sebastian Melmoth. 🌍 Lectured in the U.S. on aesthetics and art. 🏛️ A leading figure of decadence and aestheticism. 😲 Curious fact: in court he declared he valued “beautiful things more than common sense.” 😄 Funny fact: joked he could “resist everything except temptation.”