Oscar Wilde

noun

Irish writer and wit (1854-1900)

• Syn: ↑Wilde, ↑Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde

• Instance Hypernyms: ↑writer, ↑author, ↑dramatist, ↑playwright

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Oscar Wilde [Oscar Wilde]

(1854–1900) an Irish writer of plays, poetry and one novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891). He became famous after moving to London, where he wrote his most successful comedy plays, including Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892) and ↑Importance of Being Earnest. He is also well known for his humorous and intelligent remarks, and for being ↑homosexual. In 1895 he was sent to prison for his ↑homosexuality, which was illegal at the time. He described his prison experience in the poem ↑Ballad of Reading Gaol. After he was released he lived the rest of his life in France and Italy. Many of his clever and amusing remarks are still repeated today and his type of wit is called Wildean. I have nothing to declare except my genius. Oscar Wilde to a customs officer