Oscar Wilde

Author profile

born

in Dublin, Ireland

October 16, 1854

died

November 30, 1900

gender

male

website

http://www.cmgww.com/historic/wilde/

genre

Children's Books, Poetry, Drama

influences

Walter Pater, John Ruskin, Peter Kropotkin, Lewis Carroll

About this author

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Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish playwright, poet and author of numerous short stories and one novel. Known for his biting wit, and a plentitude of aphorisms, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Several of his plays continue to be widely performed, especially The Importance of Being Earnest.

As the result of a widely covered series of trials, Wilde suffered a dramatic downfall and was imprisoned for two years hard labour after being convicted of "gross indecency" with other men. After Wilde was released from prison he set sail for Dieppe by the night ferry. He never returned to Ireland or Britain, and died in poverty.

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Oscar Wilde's Books

Average rating: 4.05 · 474,956 ratings · 15,534 reviews · 501 distinct works · Similar authors

	The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Jeffrey Eugenides (Introduction) 3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 253,651 ratings — published 1890 — 1029 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Importance of Being Earnest 4.16 of 5 stars 4.16 avg rating — 95,609 ratings — published 1894 — 294 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays by Oscar Wilde, Richard Allen Cave (Commentary) 4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 avg rating — 23,222 ratings — published 1895 — 43 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	An Ideal Husband 4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 15,591 ratings — published 1895 — 151 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, Inga Moore (Illustrator) 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 9,598 ratings — published 1887 — 203 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Complete Works of Oscar Wilde by Oscar Wilde, Merlin Holland (Introduction) 4.47 of 5 stars 4.47 avg rating — 7,089 ratings — published 1927 — 65 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Happy Prince 4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 avg rating — 6,890 ratings — published 1888 — 68 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde, Hunter Wilde 3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 avg rating — 6,461 ratings — published 1893 — 82 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Complete Fairy Tales 4.34 of 5 stars 4.34 avg rating — 5,480 ratings — published 1888 — 44 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Salome by Oscar Wilde, Robert Baldwin Ross (Introduction), Aubrey Beardsley (Illustrator) 3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 avg rating — 4,280 ratings — published 1892 — 84 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Oscar Wilde…

Quotes by Oscar Wilde

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
― Oscar Wilde

tags: attributed-no-source, be-yourself, honesty, inspirational, unsourced, unverifiable

65,663 people liked it

“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Stories

tags: intelligence, self-deprecation

40,655 people liked it

“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”
― Oscar Wilde

tags: enemies, forgiveness, strategy

40,470 people liked it

See all Oscar Wilde's quotes »

Polls

Which author would you like to read in August 2012?

Frances Hodgson Burnett

20 votes, 27.8%

Oscar Wilde

13 votes, 18.1%

Rudyard Kipling

10 votes, 13.9%

Robert Lewis Stevenson

9 votes, 12.5%

George MacDonald

8 votes, 11.1%

Lewis Carroll

7 votes, 9.7%

Julia Horatia Ewing

5 votes, 6.9%

72 total votes

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Oscar Wilde

Author profile

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Oscar Wilde's Books