Oscar Wilde

Birth Name:

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde

Birth Date:

October 16, 1854

Birth Place:

Dublin, Ireland

Death Date:

November 30, 1900

Place of Death:

Room 16, Hotel d'Alsace, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, France

Age:

Cause of Death:

Meningitis following an acute ear infection

Cemetery Name:

Cimetière du Père Lachaise

Claim to Fame:

Writers and Poets

Oscar Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill. Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. Undeniably brilliant, the author, playwright and poet was known for his acclaimed works including 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' and 'The Importance of Being Earnest,' as well as his brilliant wit, flamboyant style and infamous imprisonment for homosexuality. Aside from is collective works, he is also remembered for the circumstances of his criminal conviction for gross indecency for consensual homosexual acts in "one of the first celebrity trials" and imprisonment. At the height of his fame and success, while The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) was still being performed in London, Wilde prosecuted the Marquess of Queensberry for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel trial unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and trial for gross indecency with men. After two more trials he was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labor, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. Today his collective works are considered among the great literary masterpieces of the late Victorian period.

Fun Facts:

Famous quotes from the flamboyant and brilliant Oscar Wilde:

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.
The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.
You can never be overdressed or overeducated.
Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood.
I don’t want to go to heaven. None of my friends are there.
You will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Cimetière du Père Lachaise

16 Rue du Repos, 6ème division, Chemin Lesseps

Paris, , 75020

France

Europe

Map:

Cemetery map of Cimetière du Père Lachaise in Paris, France.

Grave Location:

Division 89

Grave Location Description

Oscar Wilde’s tomb is about a 7 minute walk from Chapel of the East. When looking at the front of the chapel, turn left onto Avenue de la Chapelle. Take the first right onto Avenue Feuillant. Head northeast until reaching the intersection of Avenue Feuillant and Avenue Transversale No 1 and turn right. Then head southeast and turn left onto Chemin Laplace. Continue along this path and turn right at the second intersection and head southeast toward onto Avenue Carette. Turn left at the next intersection onto Avenue Carette and continue northeast for about 330 feet. Oscar Wilde’s tomb with be on your right and about 15 feet from the road.