Not everyone knows where the grave of Oscar Wilde is located and what is so special about it, which causes a lot of people to flock there every year. The article will fill the knowledge gap. Moreover, it tells not only about the death and burial of a famous person, but also about how he was during his lifetime and what legacy he left to mankind after himself.
The life and death of the great writer
Oscar Wilde was born in Ireland, in the middle of autumn 1854. It is unlikely that happy parents suspected at that moment that they were holding in their hands the future famous writer. However, the boy from an early age began to show amazing learning abilities, he quickly read, knew how to compose funny stories at once and, in the end, graduated from school with a gold medal.
Gradually, young Wilde began to show interest in poetry. In England, collections of poems are published, it becomes famous and popular in the elite circles of society. In his most fruitful and happy years, Oscar Wilde is a fashionable socialite dandy, a brilliant publicist, playwright and philosopher. But fate led him to a tragic ending.
In 1891, the writer, being married, meets Lord Alfred Douglas and passionately falls in love with this young man. Gradually, the public becomes aware of this connection, and the writer goes to jail for a criminal connection.
The prison in which Wilde spent 2 long years broke the writer, friends and wife turned away from him. He was set free by a poor man whom everyone despised. He died in France in 1900, at the age of 46 from acute meningitis. They say that his death was painful.
Tomb of Oscar Wilde
The writer found his last shelter in the Paris cemetery of Pere Lachaise. Translated, this name sounds like "Father Lachaise", but is officially designated as the Eastern Cemetery or Cimetière de l'Est (in French). Pere Lachaise is called one of the largest tombstone museums. Here are the graves of such famous people as Moliere, Balzac, Sarah Bernhardt, Marcel Marceau, Chopin, Edith Piaf and many other celebrities.
On the grave of Oscar Wilde there is a unique monument by sculptor Epstein. This work of art was commissioned by American actress Helen Carey. The tombstone is a flying figure of some fantastic creature, either a sphinx, or a winged Assyrian bull, or a pagan god.
Sphinx on the grave of Oscar Wilde attracts many tourists. Among them are not only faithful admirers of the writer's work, but also homosexuals of all nationalities, for whom Oscar Wilde has become a kind of cult idol.
Tradition of kissing a monument
In the 80s of the last century, a strange tradition was born among the fans of Wilde, which turned into a real mania. We are talking about the custom of kissing a flying figure or at least a stone gravestone over which it makes its eternal flight.
Moreover, allegedly you need to apply to the monument without fail with brightly painted lips. A legend has emerged that if you give your kiss to a statue over the grave of a writer, you will never lose your love.
So, many lovers began to make a pilgrimage to the grave of Oscar Wilde, and they did not skimp on kisses. Because of this, the monument began to be covered with a thick layer of lipstick. The tombstone had to be constantly cleaned, but in the end, the authorities decided to enclose it with a glass fence to protect the work of art from loving visitors.
In the photo you can see how the monument looked before it was surrounded by a fence. However, they say that even now some particularly persistent lovers manage to leave a ritual kiss on the tombstone and take a selfie: "Paris, the grave of Oscar Wilde and we" ...
Wilde's most famous works
The writer's legacy and the most famous creations that have come out of his pen:
- the famous novel "Portrait of Dorian Gray" ;
- fairy tale "Canterville Ghost";
- the play "The Perfect Husband";
- a series of fairy tales for adults and children ("The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Happy Prince", "Infanta's Birthday", "Star Boy", etc.).
Films and theatrical performances have been made in many of these works.
Conclusion
Well, our short story came to an end about the monument on the grave of Oscar Wilde, and about what an unforgettable trace this person left in world literature. Perhaps one of the readers will want to visit the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, if possible, and bow to the ashes of the master.