Oscar Wilde
1854–1900 · Irish (Dublin) · Victorian Era
Known for: The wittiest man who ever lived — destroyed by Victorian England for the crime of being gay and brilliant
Oscar Wilde was the most celebrated wit in the English language. His plays (The Importance of Being Earnest), novel (The Picture of Dorian Gray), and fairy tales made him the most famous writer in the English-speaking world. His conviction for 'gross indecency' (homosexuality) in 1895, imprisonment, and subsequent exile and death at 46 remain one of literature's greatest tragedies.
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