October 10, 1854, Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Ireland to William Wilde, a physician, and Jane Francesca Elgee, an Irish Nationalist. Wilde had three half-siblings, Henry, Emily, and Mary, and two full-siblings, William and Isola. Isola died suddenly at the age of ten and it is said that Oscar was deeply affected; he carried a lock of her hair with him throughout his lifetime.

Portora Royal School is where Wilde began his education; he was rewarded a scholarship from Trinity College for winning the Berkeley Gold Medal for Greek. Later, Wilde received a demyship to Magdalen College at Oxford, where he was under the influence of John Ruskin and Walter Pater.

In 1887, Wilde’s father died, leaving the eldest son, William, to care for and support the family. While at Oxford, Wilde thrived and was bestowed the Newdigate award for his poem, Ravenna. In 1881, Wilde published his first collection of poetry, which received high praised from the critics.

Wilde gave a lecture tour in America in 1882. This tour stretched to nearly one year, and Wilde gave over 140 lectures. While on tour he stopped in Camden, New Jersey, where he spent time with Walt Whitman. Wilde was very fond of Walt Whitman and later bragged about Walt Whitman’s kiss that was still on his lips.

Wilde married Constance Lloyd in May 1884. She was the well-read daughter of a prominent barrister; she spoke several European languages and had an outspoken, independent mind. The couple had two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan. In spite of Wilde’s confirmed homosexuality, he remained married to his wife, Constance, throughout his life.

Around the time Wilde married, he visited Basil Ward, an artist. Oscar found one of Ward’s sitters to have exceptional beauty, although by the time his portrait was completed, the sitter’s youth was lost. In 1890, Wilde published the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, based on Ward, who was known as Basil Hallward in the novel, and his sitter, Dorian Gray.

Oscar’s first play, Lady Windermere’s Fan, opened in 1892. Its success fueled Wilde as a playwright. He gained popularity with his plays A Woman of No Importance in 1893, An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest, in 1895.

Homosexuality was introduced to Oscar Wilde by Robert Ross, a student at Cambridge. Ross would sneak male prostitutes into his family’s home. Later in 1891, Oscar Wilde met Alfred “Bosie” Douglas, the third son of the Marquis of Queensberry, who was familiar with Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Soon after, Bosie and Oscar developed a passionate relationship and became lovers. Three years later, Oscar Wilde was arrested, which led to his decision to sue Bosie’s father for libel on the charge of homosexuality. Bosie’s father threatened Wilde to stay away from Bosie. Eventually Wilde withdrew his charge, and faced trials in 1895. He was sentenced to two years of hard labor.

While in prison, Wilde’s wife, Constance, took their two children and moved to Switzerland. Moreover, Wilde lost most of his friends during his sentence, and most of his belongings were auctioned off. In prison, he was forced to walk on a treadmill every day for six hours; Wilde lost twenty pounds within the first month. For the first three months, Wilde had no contact with the outside world. Once Wilde was released from prison, he spent some time with Bosie, but mostly wandered through Europe, occasionally writing for Parisian newspapers. In 1900, Oscar Wilde died from meningitis.

He was originally buried in the Bagneaux Cemetery, but on July 19, 1909, his remains were moved to Père Lachaise, Paris (also the final resting place to Sarah Bernhardt, Jim Morrison, and Chopin). About five years later, his monument, created by American artist Jacob Epstein was unveiled. The massive, nude male Egyptian was considered indecent and its genitals were covered with with a plaque. In the early 1920’s, vandals hacked the plaque away. The back of the tomb showcases a fragment of Wilde’s last major work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol.

It is often thought that Wilde’s characters are representations of alternate selves. Oscar Wilde’s quotes are famous, and numerous movies have been made from his plays and novels. Last year, The Importance of Being Earnest was released in theaters starring Rupert Everett, Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth, Judi Dench, and Frances O’Connor. The movie was previously made in 1952, starring Michael Redgrave. In 1999, An Ideal Husband was released, starring Rupert Everett, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett, Minnie Driver, and Jeremy Northam (also previously made, 1948). Wilde was released in 1998, starring Stephen Fry as Wilde and Jude Law as Bosie.

Wilde was a genius of his time, and will continue to inspire and excite people for many years.