Essays and Lectures

This early work by Oscar Wilde was originally published in 1879 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. . 'Essays and Lectures' is an important collection of Wilde’s essays, lectures, reviews, letters, and short prose pieces. Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin in 1854. He studied at Trinity College, Dublin, and subsequently won a scholarship to Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was heavily influenced by John Ruskin and Walter Pate. In 1892, Wilde gained commercial and critical success with 'Lady Windermere's Fan', and followed it with the comedy 'A Woman of No Importance' (1893) and 'An Ideal Husband' (1895). Next to arrive was Wilde's most famous play, 'The Importance of Being Earnest' – a farcical comedy which cemented his artistic reputation and is now seen as his masterpiece.