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 · 473,138 ratings · 15,494 reviews · 657 distinct works · Similar authors

	The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Jeffrey Eugenides (Introduction) 3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 avg rating — 252,662 ratings — published 1890 — 1028 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 — 95,314 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 — 23,121 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 — 15,562 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 — 9,549 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 — 7,071 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 — 6,863 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 — 6,444 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 — 5,464 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 — 4,267 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

65,456 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

40,572 people liked it

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

tags: enemies, forgiveness, strategy

40,331 people liked it

See all Oscar Wilde's quotes »

Polls

Choose Our First Group-Read

Room - Emma Donoghue

4 votes, 44.4%

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

3 votes, 33.3%

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - Patrick Süskind

1 vote, 11.1%

Lord of the Flies - William Golding

1 vote, 11.1%

Eragon - Christopher Paolini

0 votes, 0.0%

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

0 votes, 0.0%

دروز بلغراد - ربيع جابر

0 votes, 0.0%

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

0 votes, 0.0%

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

0 votes, 0.0%

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

0 votes, 0.0%

The Giver - Lois Lowry

0 votes, 0.0%

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

0 votes, 0.0%

9 total votes

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Oscar Wilde

Author profile

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Oscar Wilde's Books