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Adult names. Exclude Include. Oscar Wilde. A gifted poet, playwright, and wit; Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in 19th-century England. He was illustrious for preaching the importance of style in life and art, and of attacking Victorian narrow-mindedness. Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland.
He studied at Trinity College in Dublin, before leaving the country to study at Oxford University in England when he was in his early 20s. His prodigious literary talent was recognized when he received the Newdegate Prize for his outstanding poem "Ravenna".
After leaving university, he began to cause a sensation, using sheer force of personality, as he published his first volume of poetry, "Patience", in , followed by a play, "The Duchess of Padua", two years later.
On his arrival in America, he stirred the nation with his flamboyancy: wearing silk stockings, and sporting long, flowing hair, which gave the impression, to many, of an effeminate, and he bore a general air of wittiness, sophistication, and eccentricity.
