Writer · 1854 – 1900

Oscar Wilde

Little-Known Facts

  • He quipped on arriving in America that he had 'nothing to declare but my genius'.
  • After prison he lived his final years in exile in Paris under an assumed name.

Myths & Misconceptions

Why was Oscar Wilde imprisoned?

He was convicted of 'gross indecency' for homosexual relationships, then illegal, and sentenced to two years' hard labour — a prosecution now seen as a grave injustice.