Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish playwright, poet and author of many short stories, as well as a novel. He became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day, known for his biting wit and abundance of aphorisms. Several of his plays, especially The Importance of Being Earnest, continue to be widely performed. Wilde suffered a dramatic fall as a result of a widespread series of trials and was imprisoned with other men for two years of hard labor after being convicted of "gross indecency." Following Wilde's release from prison, the night ferry set sail for Dieppe. He never came back to Ireland or the UK and died in poverty.
