Queensberry, who argued a lot with his son, confronted Wilde and Lord Alfred about the nature of their relationship. Wilde's lover was the son of the Marquess of Queensbury, who was known for his outspoken atheism, brutish manner and creation of the modern rules of boxing. Wilde and his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, in 1893. Two men in suits sit on a bench with their legs crossed. Wilde's wife, Constance Lloyd, changed the family name to Holland after his conviction, and took the children to Switzerland. p546 He died of cerebral meningitis in Paris at the age of forty-six. His last memorable words were: 'My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. Living in a Paris hotel, he was destitute, with little money and few friends. There he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, a long poem commemorating prison life. Upon his release he left immediately for France, never to return to the British Isles. In prison he wrote De Profundis, a long letter which discusses his spiritual journey through his trials, forming a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. After a series of trials, Wilde was convicted of gross indecency with other men and sentenced to two years of hard labour in Reading Gaol ( jail). Despite this, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late Victorian London.Īt the height of his fame and success-his masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest, was still on stage in London-Wilde sued his lover's father for libel.

He wrote Salomé in French in Paris in 1891, but it was refused a licence. It was his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which brought him full recognition. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant clothes, and glittering conversation, Wilde was one of the best known personalities of the day. In London, he worked as a journalist for four years. Wilde, born in Ireland in 1854, was an outstanding classical scholar at Trinity College, Dublin, then at Magdalen College, Oxford University.

Oscar wilde