Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was born in the 1850s in Ireland to an aristocratic family which supported Irish independence from Britain. His parents’ home was always full of artists. While at Cambridge University, Wilde made a name for himself as someone interested in art but also as a man with unconventional morals. This reputation continued even after he married and fathered two boys (for whom he wrote some beautiful bedtime stories). Just when he had become a superstar of the British theatre, famous for his comic plays, he lost everything when he was accused of leading an immoral life. He was arrested, found guilty and sent to prison. When he got out after two years, his health destroyed, he immediately left for France, where he died penniless in 1900. He was still very funny however. His last words, on looking at his cheap and dirty hotel room, were: “Either this wallpaper goes, or I do.” Oscar Wilde is today regarded as one of the greatest comic dramatists and he is still one of the most popular.