Wilde's Prison Diary

Author: Oscar Wilde
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2004-06-01
Features: A whisper of a poet's soul, a final cry of an aesthete, and a collection of books that have sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Wilde's comedies still make audiences in London roar with laughter a century later. His witty sayings are still frequently quoted, bringing a knowing smile and feeling timeless. For a century, his biographies have continuously appeared, guiding curious readers from Dublin to Oxford, from London to Paris, to revisit the real and illusory world of this Irish genius. This man, who called himself "an Irish peacock with nothing but genius," was still immersed in the world of flowers and applause, witty conversations, and the scent of lilies while writing this long letter to his homosexual friend Douglas in prison, rubbing coarse hemp rope and wiping his tears. He had tasted all the sweet fruits of life and had flown freely—or so he thought—in the spiritual paradise. Now he knew that his genius could also bring him a spiritual hell. Reading such works may not bring admiration for his genius but rather sympathy for a true genius, and a deeper understanding of the capricious nature of the goddess of fate.