Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin, the son of a famous eye surgeon and a poet who wrote for the Irish cause. He won prizes in Greek at Trinity College Dublin and at Oxford, and arrived in London set on becoming famous, with long hair, velvet suits and a remark for every occasion.

He wrote fairy tales for his two sons, one novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and comedies that filled the London theatres, of which The Importance of Being Earnest is the best loved. In 1895, at the height of his fame, he was sent to prison for two years for his relationships with men. He left England on his release and died poor in Paris in 1900.