Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flaherty Wheels. Oscar Fingal O'Flaherty Wills Wilde Full name of Oscar Wilde

Oscar Fingal O'Flaherty Wills Wilde is an English writer of Irish origin, critic, philosopher, esthete; in the late Victorian period he was one of the most famous playwrights. Born into a family of a doctor on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland. During 1864 -1871. studied nearby hometown, in Enniskillenne, at the Royal Portora School, where he demonstrated a brilliant sense of humor and showed himself to be a very talkative person with a lively mind.

After graduating from school, Wilde won a gold medal and a scholarship that allowed him to continue his studies at Trinity College in Dublin. Studying here from 1871 to 1874, Wilde, as at school, demonstrated an aptitude for ancient languages. Within the walls of this educational institution, he first listened to lectures on aesthetics, which, together with the influence exerted on the future writer by a sophisticated, highly cultured professor-curator, largely shaped his future “trademark” aesthetic behavior.

While studying at Oxford, Wilde traveled to Greece and Italy, and the beauty and culture of these countries made a strong impression on him. As a student, he won the Newdigate Prize for his poem Ravenna. Having left the university in 1878, Wilde settled in London, where he became an active participant in social life, quickly gaining attention with his wit, non-trivial behavior and talents. He becomes a revolutionary in the field of fashion, he is willingly invited to various salons, and visitors come to look at the “Irish wit”

In 1881, his collection “Poems” was published, which was immediately noticed by the public. J. Ruskin's lectures turned Wilde into a fan of the aesthetic movement, who believed that everyday life needs a revival of beauty. With lectures on aesthetics in 1882, he undertook a tour of American cities and was at that time the object of close attention from journalists. Wilde stayed in the USA for a year, after which, a short time Having returned home, he went to Paris, where he met V. Hugo, A. France, P. Verlaine, Emile Zola and other major representatives of French literature.

1890 A novel is published that gains incredible popularity, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Critics called it immoral, but the author was already accustomed to criticism. In 1890, the significantly expanded novel was published again, in the form of a separate book (before that it had been published by a magazine) and was supplied with a preface, which became a kind of manifesto of aestheticism. Oscar Wilde’s aesthetic doctrine was also outlined in a collection of articles, “Plans,” published in 1891.

From this year until 1895, Wilde experienced the peak of fame, which was simply dizzying. In 1891, an event occurred that influenced the entire further biography popular writer. Fate brought him together with Alfred Douglas, who was more than fifteen years younger than him, and love for this man destroyed Wilde’s entire life. Their relationship could not remain a secret for the capital's society. Douglas's father, the Marquess of Queensberry, filed a lawsuit accusing Wilde of the criminal offense of sodomy. Despite the advice of friends to go abroad, Wilde remains and defends his position, attracting close public attention to the court hearings.

The spirit of the writer, who received two years of hard labor in 1895, could not stand the test. Former friends and the fans for the most part chose to break off relations with him; the beloved Alfred Douglas did not write a single line to him the entire time, let alone visit him. During Wilde's stay in prison, his closest person, his mother, died; the wife, changing her surname and children, left the country. Wilde himself also left, being released in May 1897: his few remaining loyal friends helped him do this. There he lived under the name of Sebastian Melmoth. In 1898, he wrote an autobiographical poem, which became his last poetic achievement, “Ballad Reading Gaol» .

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), English playwright, poet, prose writer, essayist, critic. A flamboyant celebrity of the late Victorian period, a London dandy who was later convicted of "indecent" behavior. This is one of the most paradoxical minds in the history of mankind. He confronted the official world, slapped public opinion. Everything trivial irritated him, everything ugly repelled him. “Apostle of Aestheticism” was his official title in English society; That's what newspapers and humorous sheets called him. “Aesthete” was, as it were, his rank, his rank, his career, profession, his social position,” K. Chukovsky wrote about him.

His full name is Oscar Fingal O Flaherty Wills Wilde. Irish by origin. Born on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, in a very famous family. Father, Sir William Wilde, was a world-famous ophthalmologist, author of many scientific works; mother a society lady who wrote poetry and considered her receptions a literary salon.

In 1874, Wilde, having won a scholarship to study at Oxford Magdalene College in the classics department, entered the intellectual citadel of England, Oxford. At Oxford, Wilde created himself. He acquired, as he wanted, a reputation for shining effortlessly. It was here that his special philosophy of art took shape.

After graduating from university, Oscar Wilde moved to London. Thanks to his talent, wit and ability to attract attention, Wilde quickly joined the social life. He made the “most necessary” revolution for English society: a revolution in fashion. From now on, he appeared in society in his own mind-blowing outfits: short culottes and silk stockings, lemon gloves combined with a lush lace frill, and an indispensable accessory - a carnation in his buttonhole, painted in green color. Carnation and sunflower, along with lily, were considered the most perfect flowers among the Pre-Raphaelites (from the Latin prefix prae before, before and the name of the Italian artist Raphael) society in England mid-19th century, which preached a return to the primitive forms of the early Italian painting to Raphael.

Already the first poetry collection Wilde's “Poems” (1881) demonstrated his commitment to the aesthetic direction of decadence, with its characteristic cult of individualism, pretentiousness, mysticism, pessimistic moods of loneliness and despair. His first experience in drama, “Faith, or Nihilists,” dates back to the same time. However, for the next ten years he did not engage in drama, turning to other genres - essays, fairy tales, literary and artistic manifestos.

During 1882 he lectured on literature in the USA and Canada. The announcement of his performances included the following phrase: “I have nothing to present to you except my genius.”

After America, Wilde visited Paris, where he met and, without much difficulty, won the sympathy of the brightest representatives world literature Paul Verlaine, Emile Zola, Victor Hugo, Stéphane Mallarmé, Anatole France. At 29, he met Constance Lloyd, fell in love, and became a family man. They had two sons (Cyril and Vivian), for whom Wilde composed fairy tales, later written down on paper “The Happy Prince and Other Tales” (1888) and “The House of Pomegranates” (1891). The magical, truly bewitching world of these very beautiful and sad stories It is not really addressed to children, but to adult readers. From point of view theatrical arts In Wilde's fairy tales, the aesthetic style of a refined paradox crystallized, distinguishing Wilde's small dramaturgy, and turning his plays into a unique phenomenon, almost without analogues in world literature.

In 1887, he published the stories “The Canterville Ghost”, “The Crime of Lord Arthur Savile”, “The Sphinx without a Riddle”, “The Millionaire Model”, “The Portrait of Mr. W. H.”, which formed the first collection of his stories. However, Wilde did not like to write down everything that came to his mind. Many of the stories with which he enchanted listeners remained unwritten.

In 1890, the only novel that finally brought Wilde stunning success was published, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Critics accused his novel of immorality. And in 1891, the novel was published with significant additions and a special preface, which became a manifesto for aestheticism - the direction and religion that Wilde created. The novel still attracts attention today; it has been filmed in different countries about fifteen (!) times.

18911895 Wilde's years of dizzying glory. All of Wilde’s plays, filled with paradoxes, aphorisms and phrases that became catchphrases, were written in the early 1890s: “Lady Windermere’s Fan” (1892), “A Woman, Not worth attention"(1893), "The Holy Harlot, or the Woman Showered with Jewels" (1893), "The Ideal Husband" (1895), "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895). They were immediately staged on the London stage and enjoyed great success; critics wrote that Wilde brought revitalization to English theatrical life. After the premiere of the comedy Lady Windermere's Fan, the author addressed the audience with the words: “I congratulate you on the great success of the play; it convinced me that you are almost as good high opinion about my play, just like myself.”

The success of Wilde's work was accompanied loud scandals. The first of them arose with the appearance of The Picture of Dorian Gray, when widespread discussion of the novel came down to accusing the author of immorality. Further, in 1893, English censorship banned the production of the drama "Salome", written in French for Sarah Bernhardt. Here the accusations of immorality were much more serious, since the biblical story. “Salome” gained its stage history only at the beginning of the 20th century, with the flowering of symbolism: in 1905 Richard Strauss wrote an opera based on the play; and in Russia the play thundered in 1917, staged by Alexander Tairov with A. Koonen in the title role.

But major scandal, which destroyed not only his playwriting career, but also his entire life, broke out in 1895, shortly after the premiere of the playwright's last comedy. Wilde, defending himself from public accusations of homosexuality, sued the Marquess of Queensberry, the father of his closest friend Alfred Douglas. Wilde was convicted of immorality and sentenced to prison. The titles of Wilde's plays immediately disappeared from theater posters, and his name ceased to be mentioned. The only colleague of Wilde who petitioned for his pardon, although unsuccessfully, was B. Shaw.

The two years the writer spent in prison turned into the last two literary works, filled with huge artistic power. These are the prose confession "De Profundis" ("From the Abyss"), written during imprisonment and published posthumously, and the poem "The Ballad of Reading Gaol", written shortly after his release in 1897. It was published under a pseudonym, which became Wilde's prison number C .3.3.

He didn't write anything else. Relying on financial support close friends, released in May 1897, Wilde moved to France and changed his name to Sebastian Melmoth, the hero of the Gothic novel Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Maturin, Wilde's great-uncle.

One of the most brilliant and sophisticated aesthetes in England in the 19th century. spent last years his life in poverty, obscurity and loneliness. He died quite unexpectedly on November 30, 1900, from meningitis contracted through an ear infection.

A plaque on Wilde's house in London states:

"I lived here

Oscar Wilde

wit and playwright."

Oscar Wilde

Prose writer, essayist, playwright, poet, Oscar Wilde lived a short, dramatic life. Was the most characteristic representative aestheticism, an artistic and philosophical movement that developed in England in the 1870-1890s. Its supporters proceeded from the principle of “art for art’s sake”, from the fact that literature does not make sense to fulfill some kind of moral mission, to teach goodness, justice, that it is “indifferent” to problems of morality. Art is called to serve beauty, which is higher than life. The artist expresses only his subjective impressions and counter-

Delivers them to reality. True, it is not always Wilde

I followed these theories.

The son of a famous Irish doctor, he studied at the prestigious

Oxford University. Generously artistically gifted, he led the life of a London dandy, a socialite, whose paradoxical, witty opinions were heard by everyone. He made his debut as a poet and author of poetic, lyrical fairy tales ("The Happy Prince", "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Young King", etc.), beloved by children. His aesthetic theories found expression in the famous novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). In it, the novelist traces the relationship of three characters, the handsome young man Dorian Gray, the high-society cynic, experienced in the vices of Lord Henry and the artist Devoted to the art of Hallward,

Does not accept immoral hedonism. Using the example of the miraculous transformation of the portrait of the main character, he defends his favorite thesis that art is higher than life.

As a playwright, Wilde made a significant contribution to the renewal of English theater in the second half of the 19th century. He stimulated a shift in interest from light entertainment to productions of more significant life problems. In her comedies - "Lady Windermere's Fan", "A Woman Not Worth Noticing", "The Importance of Being Earnest" and, probably the best of them, "An Ideal Husband" (she for a long time was performed with great success at the Moscow Art Theater) - Wilde wittily ridicules emptiness and falsehood secular society, bourgeois Victorian morality. The comedy "An Ideal Husband" conveys the atmosphere of blackmail, intrigue, and gossip practiced in the light, personified by the adventurous Mrs. Cheveley. But the hero, Robert Chiltern, fellow Foreign Secretary, a gentleman proud of his unblemished reputation, as it turns out, built a career on the fact that he sold state secrets, which brought him wealth. Wilde, like another great Irishman, Bernard Shaw, is a master of paradoxes. Here are some of them: “Nothing ages you like happiness”, “Women have an amazing sense: they sniff out everything except what everyone knows”, “The British cannot stand people who are always right, but they really love those who confess in his wrongness", "In England, a person who does not speak moral themes twice a week in front of a large immoral audience, cannot be considered a serious politician,” “Self-love is the beginning of a long, life-long romance.”

Wilde's prosperous life was unexpectedly interrupted. Accused of immoral behavior, he was tried and imprisoned, which changed a lot in him. Now he asserted: "Suffering is the only truth; no truth can compare with suffering." The experiences associated with imprisonment, the terrible scene - the execution of a prisoner who killed his beloved - he saw - all this was reflected in his piercing poem, filled with genuine tragedy, “The Ballad of Reading Gaol”.

In the second half of the nineteenth century, this name was synonymous with the word "paradox". This man was a model of elegance and grace, and his name was Oscar Wilde. Books, treatises, plays, fairy tales and everything that came from his pen instantly became popular. However, like many bright personalities, he was not destined to live a long life.

Oscar Wilde's family

Oscar's father, William Wilde, was the most famous otolaryngologist and ophthalmologist in Ireland. For his excellent work over many years, he was awarded a knighthood. Over the years, Mr. Wilde was able to use his own money to open a free medical service for the poor of Dublin. IN free time he wrote books about Irish culture.

The beloved mother of the future writer, Jane Wilde, was also no stranger to literature. During her turbulent youth, this heroic woman was a member revolutionary movement"Young Irish" and at one time wrote patriotic poems for them.

In her sons William and Oscar, Jane devoted all her time to raising them. She tried to instill in the boys a love of Irish literature. Mrs. Wilde also introduced her children to literature and culture Ancient Greece and Rome.

In addition to his older brother, Oscar also had a younger sister, Izola. However, this baby had a very short biography. Oscar Wilde later dedicated one of his poems, Requiescat, to her memory, since she died at the age of ten.

The writer's childhood and youth

Oscar spent his early childhood in Dublin in a luxurious house, decorated with busts of Greek and Roman philosophers, as well as numerous paintings. Perhaps it was the environment of his father’s house that arose in the heart of the impressionable young man a love of beauty.

Oscar's parents spared no expense on their children's education. From childhood he had a French and a German governess. So, going to the Royal School of Portora, near Dublin, at the age of nine, the boy spoke excellent French and German.

Far from his parents' home in a new environment, young Oscar Wilde soon created an excellent reputation for himself. Witty quotes from this student passed from mouth to mouth among his comrades. In addition, he managed to study well. So, the guy managed to graduate from school with a gold medal and earn a scholarship to continue his studies at Dublin College of the Holy Trinity.

Three years of college greatly influenced Wilde's worldview. Here he became interested in antiquity and aestheticism, over time creating his own style of behavior and manner of communication, which subsequently delighted his fans.

Having performed well in college, Oscar Wilde earned a scholarship to Oxford, where he spent the next four years. During this time, he became an even greater admirer of antiquity, and was also fascinated by the ideas of John Ruskin. A trip to Greece and Italy finally helped shape the young Wilde’s worldview.

Brief biography: Oscar Wilde in London and the USA

After finishing his studies, the young esthete decided to stay and live in the capital of the kingdom. By that time he had gotten rid of the accent that marked him as Irish and had learned to speak perfect literary language. The young, charming gentleman with an elegant style and excellent humor quickly found a place in the highest circles of London's cultural elite. Pretty soon he became “that Wilde.” He was listened to, quoted and admired.

In 1881, Oscar Wilde published his first book, Poems. It instantly became popular and was reprinted five times.

The following year, the recognized esthete traveled to the USA. Here he lectured on art and aesthetics. Within a year of living in America, Oscar Wilde became practically a living legend. Quotes from this wit and stories about his adventures practically never left the newspaper pages. Reporters followed him everywhere, watching how brilliantly he extricated himself from various situations without losing his dignity. Returning from his trip, Wilde said his famous phrase: “I have already civilized America - only heaven remains.”

Personal life of Oscar Wilde

After returning home, Wilde unexpectedly married. His chosen one was Constance Lloyd. Soon the Wilde couple gave birth to two beautiful boys, Cyril and Vivian.

Carried away by fatherhood, Oscar Wilde composes fairy tales for his sons. These works turned out to be so beautiful that they were soon published in two collections. Despite the tragedy, they are full of true beauty and are among the most popular and readable works writer.

Unfortunately, the happy family life There was a fairly short biography of the writer. Oscar Wilde began communicating with a young nobleman named Alfred Douglas in 1891. From this time on, his relationship with his wife becomes only a formality.

Peak of the writer's popularity

Oscar Wilde's close friendship with Douglas lasted from 1981 to 1895. Interestingly, this period turned out to be the most fruitful in the writer's work. And although many popular works This author had been written earlier (the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, the story “The Canterville Ghost”), and it was his witty plays that brought Wilde fame at that time.

The stage production of the comedy plays “Lady Windermere’s Fan”, “An Ideal Husband”, “The Importance of Being Earnest”, written by Oscar Wilde, made this gentleman the most famous person in London.

During these same years, Oscar Wilde wrote not only plays. Books with articles by the writer about aestheticism and his views on society and its morality also saw the light of day during this period. These were the famous “Plans” and “The Soul of Man under Socialism.”

Trial, imprisonment and final years

Because of Oscar's "unhealthy" relationship with young Alfred, the boy's father provoked a scandal. As a result of a series of manipulations, the writer found himself in the dock on charges of indecent relationships with other men.

Oscar Wilde used all his eloquence in defending himself. More than once the audience applauded him and glorified him as a hero. However, the writer was still sentenced to 2 years in prison. And he served his entire sentence.

While Oscar was behind bars, his mother died, and his wife left for another country, taking a different surname for her sons and herself.

After his release, our hero saw that many of his former comrades, as well as Alfred Douglas, had turned their backs on him.

With the support of his true friends, Oscar Wilde moved to live in France and changed his name to the pseudonym Sebastian Melmoth. In the new country he published his last piece- “The Ballad of Reading Gaol”, which was signed with the name S.3.3.

Also during this period, he writes a couple of notes in which he expresses his opinion about the structure of life for prisoners. It is noteworthy that his thoughts soon became part of the bill passed in 1989.

Having never returned to his homeland, Oscar Wilde died in November 1900 and was buried in Paris.

Unfortunately, this bright thinker and writer had a short biography. Oscar Wilde died before he was fifty. On the other hand, for such a person as Oscar Wilde, it may have been the best option. After all, he left literature and life at the peak, without having time to bore either himself or his readers, and for such an esthete this was very important.

Oscar Fingal O'Flaherty Wills Wilde (Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde) - Irish philosopher, esthete, writer, poet.

Oscar was born on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, his father was an ophthalmologist, and his mother was a writer and journalist. Oscar Wilde received his first education at home. His parents, superbly educated, instilled in him a love of books and languages ​​from childhood.

From 1864 to 1871, Oscar Wilde studied at the Royal School of Portora (near Dublin), from which he graduated with a gold medal. Wilde was awarded a Royal School Scholarship to study at Trinity College, Dublin.

In that educational institution Wilde acquired not only knowledge, but also some beliefs and character traits that he retained throughout his life.

In 1874, Wilde was awarded a scholarship to study at Oxford Magdalene College in the classics department. While still a student, Oscar traveled around Europe and also wrote several works. For the poem "Ravenna" he received the Newdigate Prize. After graduating from university, he settled in London and traveled around the USA giving lectures.

The next period of his life was literary fruitful. He worked as a journalist (he was editor of the magazine " Women's World"), and also wrote many short stories during that time. Wilde's popular novel The Picture of Dorian Gray was published in 1890.

The writer’s wit was perfectly demonstrated in the comedies “An Ideal Husband”, “The Importance of Being Serious”, “ Salome" After love affair with Alfred Douglas (he abandoned his family because of this relationship), the Marquis of Queensberry sued Wilde. Oscar was sentenced to two years in prison, in which he finally broke down morally. Released in 1897, he settled in France, changing his name to Sebastian Melmoth, and wrote “The Ballad of Reading Gaol.”