Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish writer, poet, playwright, essayist, and one of the most distinctive literary figures of the late Victorian era. Celebrated for his wit, elegance, and mastery of paradox, he became a leading voice of the aesthetic movement and an enduring advocate of artistic freedom.
Born in Dublin and educated at Trinity College and Oxford University, Wilde achieved fame through his poetry, essays, lectures, fiction, and theatre. His best-known works include The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband, Lady Windermere's Fan, The Happy Prince and Other Tales, De Profundis, and The Ballad of Reading Gaol.
Published in its first form in 1890, The Picture of Dorian Gray was Wilde's only novel. Its exploration of beauty, youth, influence, morality, and the divided self caused controversy upon publication but ultimately established the book as one of the great works of English Gothic and decadent literature.
