In the second half of the nineteenth century, this name was synonymous with the word "paradox." This man was a model of elegance and grace, and his name was Oscar Wilde. Books, treatises, plays, fairy tales, and everything that came out of his pen, instantly became popular. However, like many bright personalities, he was not destined for a long life.
Native Oscar Wilde
Oscar's father, William Wilde, was a renowned otolaryngologist and ophthalmologist in Ireland. For his excellent many years of work, he was awarded the title of knight. Over the years, Mr. Wilde was able to open a free medical care center for the poor of Dublin with his own money. In his free time, he wrote books about Irish culture.
Jane Wilde, the beloved mother of the future writer, was also not alien to literature. At a time of turbulent youth, this heroic woman was a member of the Young Irish revolutionary movement and at one time wrote patriotic poems for them.
In her sons, William and Oscar, Jane did not cherish a soul and devoted all their time to their education. She tried to instill in the boys a love of Irish literature. Mrs. Wilde also introduced her children to the literature and culture of Ancient Greece and Rome.
In addition to her older brother, Oscar also had a younger sister, Isola. However, this baby had a very short biography. Oscar Wilde later dedicated one of his poems to her memory - Requiescat, since she died at the age of ten.
The childhood and youth of the writer
Oscar's early childhood took place in Dublin in a luxurious house, decorated with busts of Greek and Roman philosophers, as well as numerous paintings. Perhaps it was the atmosphere of the house that gave birth to the love of beauty in the heart of an impressionable young man.
Oscar's parents did not spare money for the education of children. From childhood, he had a French and German governess. So, leaving at the age of nine to study at the Royal School of Portor, near Dublin, the boy spoke excellent French and German.
Away from the parental home in a new setting, young Oscar Wilde soon built up a great reputation. The witty quotes of this student passed from mouth to mouth among his comrades. In addition, he managed to study well. So, the guy managed to finish school with a gold medal and earn a scholarship to continue his studies at Dublin College of the Holy Trinity.
Three years of college strongly influenced Wilde's worldview. Here he became interested in antiquity and aesthetics, eventually creating his own style of behavior and manner of communication, which subsequently delighted his fans.
Well-established in college, Oscar Wilde earned a scholarship to study at Oxford, where he spent the next four years. During this time, he became even more an admirer of antiquity, and was also passionate about the ideas of John Ruskin. Finally, the young Wilde's worldview helped shape the trip to Greece and Italy.
Short biography: Oscar Wilde in London and the USA
After graduating, the young esthete decided to stay living in the capital of the kingdom. By that time, he had gotten rid of the accent that betrayed him as an Irishman, and learned to speak an excellent literary language. A young charming gentleman with exquisite manners, elegant style and excellent humor quickly found a place in the upper circles of the cultural elite of London. Pretty soon, he became "the same Wilde." He was listened to, quoted, and admired.
In 1881, Oscar Wilde published his first book, Poems Poems. She instantly became popular and was reprinted five times.
The following year, a recognized esthete traveled to the United States. Here he lectured on art and aesthetics. During the year of his life in America, he became an almost living legend of Oscar Wilde. Quotes of this wit and stories about his adventures almost never left the newspaper pages. Reporters followed him everywhere, watching how brilliantly he got out of various situations, without losing his dignity. Returning from a trip, Wilde said his famous phrase: "I have already civilized America - there is only heaven left."
Oscar Wilde's personal life
After returning home, Wilde unexpectedly married. His chosen one was Constance Lloyd. Soon, two beautiful boys, Cyril and Vivian, were born to the Wilde couple.
Carried away by fatherhood, composes fairy tales for his sons Oscar Wilde. These works turned out to be so beautiful that they were soon published in two collections. Despite the tragedy, they are full of true beauty and are one of the most popular and readable works of the writer.
Unfortunately, the writer’s happy family life had a rather short biography. Oscar Wilde since 1891 begins to communicate with a young nobleman named Alfred Douglas. Since that time, his relationship with his wife has become only a formality.
Peak writer popularity
A close friendship with Douglas lasted with Oscar Wilde from 1981 to 1895. Interestingly, this period was the most fruitful in the writer's work. And although many popular works of this author were written earlier (the novel “Portrait of Dorian Gray”, the story “The Canterville Ghost”), it was his witty plays that brought fame to Wilde at that time.
The staging of the comedy plays “Fan Lady Windermere”, “The Ideal Husband”, “The Importance of Being Serious,” written by Oscar Wilde, made this gentleman the most famous person in London.
In the same years, Oscar Wilde wrote not only plays. Books with articles by the writer about aesthetics and its views on society and its morality also saw the light of that period. These were the famous “Designs” and “Human Soul under Socialism”.
Litigation, imprisonment and recent years
Because of Oscar’s “unhealthy” relationship with young Alfred, the guy’s father provoked a scandal. As a result of a series of manipulations, the writer found himself in the dock on charges of indecent relations with other men.
Oscar Wilde used all his eloquence to protect himself. Not once did the audience applaud him and glorify him as a hero. However, the writer was still sentenced to 2 years in prison. And he served his whole term.
While Oscar was behind bars, his mother died, and his wife left for another country, taking a different surname for her sons and herself.
After his release, our hero saw that many of his former comrades, as well as Alfred Douglas, had turned their backs on him.
With the support of his true friends, Oscar Wilde moved to live in France and changed his name to the pseudonym Sebastian Melmoth. In a new country, he published his latest work, The Ballad of Reading Prison, which was signed with the name C.3.3.
Also during this period, he writes a couple of notes in which he expresses his opinion about the structure of life of prisoners. It is noteworthy that his thoughts soon became part of the bill passed in 1989.
Having never returned to his homeland, Oscar Wilde died in November 1900 and was buried in Paris.
Unfortunately, this bright thinker and writer had a short biography. Oscar Wilde died when he was not even fifty. On the other hand, for a person like Oscar Wilde, this may have been the best option. After all, he left literature and life at the peak, not having time to bore either himself or his readers, and for such an esthete it was very important.