Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was a brilliant Irish playwright, poet, and novelist born on October 16, 1854, in Dublin, Ireland. Known for his sharp wit and flamboyant style, Wilde became a prominent figure in the late 19th-century literary scene. He studied at Trinity College Dublin and later at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he developed his distinctive aesthetic philosophy. Wilde's most famous works, including "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "The Importance of Being Earnest," showcase his talent for blending humor with profound social commentary, making him a beloved figure in literature.

Beyond his literary achievements, Wilde's life was marked by a vibrant personality and a penchant for challenging societal norms. His public persona and controversial trials for his sexuality captured the attention of Victorian society, leading to his imprisonment and eventual exile. Despite the challenges he faced, Wilde's legacy endures through his timeless works that continue to resonate with readers today. As you explore his writings in this app, you'll discover the unique charm and insight that make Wilde a remarkable voice in the Western literary tradition.

Aphorisms

Read by Carl Manchester 4.6
In Aphorisms, Oscar Wilde presents a collection of sharp, insightful observations that blend humor with profound wisdom. Originally publishe…

An Ideal Husband (version 2)

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.5
The "Ideal Husband" of the title is Sir Robert Chiltern, with his equally upright wife Lady Chiltern. He has never committed a cri…

The Happy Prince and Other Tales (version 4 dramatic reading)

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.6
Wilde's collection of fairy tales has delighted both children and adults since it was first published in 1888. It contains five stories, &qu…

Lady Windermere's Fan (Version 2)

Read by Phil Chenevert 4.7
Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde, first produced 22 February 1892 at the St James's Thea…

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Read by John Gonzalez 4.5
Dorian Gray, a young man of wealth and stature in late 1800's London, meets Lord Henry Wotton while posing for a portrait by his friend Basi…

De Profundis

Read by Aaron Elliott 4.3
This short work of Wilde's was written during his two year incarceration for "gross indecency". This work is a letter which sorts …

Letters of Oscar Wilde, Volume 1 (1868-1890)

Read by Rob Marland 4.6
This first collection of the correspondence of Oscar Wilde begins with the Irish playwright's earliest extant letter, thanking his mother fo…

The Happy Prince and Other Tales (version 5)

Read by NoelBadrian 4.6
Oscar Wilde said of his story The Happy Prince that it was "an attempt to treat a tragic modern problem in a form that aims at delicacy…

Oscar Wilde - Earnest

4.3
Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is a delightful farce filled with rapid-fire wit and eccentric characters. This madcap tale of…

A Florentine Tragedy and La Sainte Courtisane

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.2
Two short fragments: an unfinished and a lost play. A Florentine Tragedy, left in a taxi (not a handbag), is Wilde’s most successful attempt…

Salome

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.2
The original 1891 version of the play was in French. Three years later an English translation was published. The play tells in one act the B…

The Poems of Oscar Wilde

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.2
Complied by Thomas B. Mosher and released in 1906, this collection contains nearly every poem published by Oscar Wilde during his lifetime. …

Vera; or the Nihilists

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.7
Vera; or, The Nihilists is Oscar Wilde's first play, a melodramatic tragedy that unfolds against the backdrop of 19th-century Russia. The st…

The Duchess of Padua

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 3.8
Guido Ferranti, a young man, travels to Padua with his friend Ascanio after receiving a mysterious letter from a stranger, claiming to know …

The Portrait of Mr. W. H.

Read by Rob Marland 4.5
Wilde's short story about an attempt to uncover the identity of Mr. W. H., the dedicatee of Shakespeare's sonnets, was first published in Bl…

Letters of Oscar Wilde, Volume 2 (1890-1895)

Read by Rob Marland 4.7
This second collection of the correspondence of Oscar Wilde includes letters written when the Irish playwright was at the height of his succ…

Selected Poems of Oscar Wilde

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 5
This is a selection of the early poetry of Oscar Wilde, selected by Robert Ross. As he puts it, "It is thought that a selection from Os…

The Happy Prince and Other Tales (version 2)

Read by om123 4.2
The Happy Prince and Other Tales (also sometimes called The Happy Prince and Other Stories) is an 1888 collection of stories for children by…

Letters of Oscar Wilde, Volume 4 (1897-1898)

Read by Rob Marland 4.7
This fourth collection of the correspondence of Oscar Wilde includes the letters Wilde wrote while living in Berneval, in the months after h…

The Fisherman and His Soul (Version 2)

Read by Phil Chenevert 4.2
To get what we want is often the greatest curse of all. The fisherman here accidentally catches a mermaid in his net. He falls in love with…

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