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.

combine editions
Oscar Wilde's Books

Average rating: 4.05 · 492,322 ratings · 15,956 reviews · 660 distinct works · Similar authors

	The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Jeffrey Eugenides (Introduction) 3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 263,153 ratings — published 1890 — 1041 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 — 98,536 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 — 24,141 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 — 15,968 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 — 10,033 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 — 7,244 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 — 7,205 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 — 6,655 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 — 5,640 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 — 4,419 ratings — published 1892 — 85 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

67,509 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

41,449 people liked it

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

tags: enemies, forgiveness, strategy

41,400 people liked it

See all Oscar Wilde's quotes »

Polls

Next month is my turn to pick and I want to read a classic, but not one that's too long. So, I've narrowed it down to several I've wanted to read for a while, but couldn't decide which one to go with.

Which would you prefer?

(The Complete Sherlock Holmes: All 4 Novels & 56 Short Stories) by Arthur Conan Doyle (We wouldn't read all of the stories--we'd decide which ones to read if this book wins.)

5 votes 55.6%

(The Scarlet Pimpernel) by Emmuska Orczy

3 votes 33.3%

(The Importance of Being Earnest) by Oscar Wilde

1 vote 11.1%

9 total votes

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