Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was a brilliant Irish playwright, poet, and novelist born on October 16, 1854, in Dublin, Ireland. Known for his sharp wit and flamboyant style, Wilde became a prominent figure in the late 19th-century literary scene. He studied at Trinity College Dublin and later at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he developed his distinctive aesthetic philosophy. Wilde's most famous works, including "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "The Importance of Being Earnest," showcase his talent for blending humor with profound social commentary, making him a beloved figure in literature.

Beyond his literary achievements, Wilde's life was marked by a vibrant personality and a penchant for challenging societal norms. His public persona and controversial trials for his sexuality captured the attention of Victorian society, leading to his imprisonment and eventual exile. Despite the challenges he faced, Wilde's legacy endures through his timeless works that continue to resonate with readers today. As you explore his writings in this app, you'll discover the unique charm and insight that make Wilde a remarkable voice in the Western literary tradition.

Salome

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.2
The original 1891 version of the play was in French. Three years later an English translation was published. The play tells in one act the B…

Aphorisms

Read by Carl Manchester 4.6
In Aphorisms, Oscar Wilde presents a collection of sharp, insightful observations that blend humor with profound wisdom. Originally publishe…

The Happy Prince and Other Tales (version 4 dramatic reading)

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.6
Wilde's collection of fairy tales has delighted both children and adults since it was first published in 1888. It contains five stories, &qu…

The Portrait of Mr. W. H.

Read by Rob Marland 4.5
Wilde's short story about an attempt to uncover the identity of Mr. W. H., the dedicatee of Shakespeare's sonnets, was first published in Bl…

De Profundis

Read by Aaron Elliott 4.3
This short work of Wilde's was written during his two year incarceration for "gross indecency". This work is a letter which sorts …

Selected Poems of Oscar Wilde

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 5
This is a selection of the early poetry of Oscar Wilde, selected by Robert Ross. As he puts it, "It is thought that a selection from Os…

The Importance of Being Earnest

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.5
The Importance of Being Earnest is a classic comedy of manners in which two flippant young men, in order to impress their respected beloveds…

Letters of Oscar Wilde, Volume 2 (1890-1895)

Read by Rob Marland 4.7
This second collection of the correspondence of Oscar Wilde includes letters written when the Irish playwright was at the height of his succ…

An Ideal Husband (version 2)

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.5
The "Ideal Husband" of the title is Sir Robert Chiltern, with his equally upright wife Lady Chiltern. He has never committed a cri…

De Profundis (version 2)

Read by AdamH 4.5
This is a letter written from prison in 1897 by Oscar Wilde to Lord Alfred Douglas, in which he recounts how he came to be in prison and cha…

The Importance of Being Earnest (version 5)

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.6
In this most popular of all Oscar Wilde’s plays, two fashionable bachelors, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, discover that each has bee…

Vera; or the Nihilists

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.7
Vera; or, The Nihilists is Oscar Wilde's first play, a melodramatic tragedy that unfolds against the backdrop of 19th-century Russia. The st…

The Importance of Being Earnest (version 2)

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.2
In Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, the lives of two young men, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, intertwine in a web of m…

The Oscar Wilde Calendar

Read by Rob Marland 5
A compendium of Oscar Wilde's wit, including some of his most famous epigrams as well as unpublished quotations supplied by his friends. The…

The Fisherman and His Soul (Version 2)

Read by Phil Chenevert 4.2
To get what we want is often the greatest curse of all. The fisherman here accidentally catches a mermaid in his net. He falls in love with…

Letters of Oscar Wilde, Volume 1 (1868-1890)

Read by Rob Marland 4.6
This first collection of the correspondence of Oscar Wilde begins with the Irish playwright's earliest extant letter, thanking his mother fo…

The Harlot's House

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 5
LibriVox volunteers bring you 19 recordings of The Harlot's House by Oscar Wilde.This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for June 9, 2024. …

The Picture of Dorian Gray (version 2 dramatic reading)

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.3
The novel tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is impressed by Dorian's beauty …

Symphony in Yellow

Read by LibriVox Volunteers 4.2
Symphony in Yellow is a vivid exploration of London through the lens of Oscar Wilde's poetic imagination. In this work, Wilde paints a strik…

Oscar Wilde - Earnest

4.3
Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is a delightful farce filled with rapid-fire wit and eccentric characters. This madcap tale of…

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