Known for his chic sense of fashion, razor-sharp intellect and witty tongue, Oscar Wilde is not only one of the most famous legendary English playwrights in history, but also a super fascinating person too. He has lived a completely attention-grabbing life, which in itself is an epic drama!
Being an author, Oscar’s inheritance of amazing literary work, including his only novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, is nearly endless… so much so that even those free Will kits wouldn’t be enough to store them all.
Well, it’s no surprise that the involvement of Wilde in several affairs and gossips is one of the reasons why he was the talk of the town. But still there are a few untold facts about him and his life, which you might not have heard of.
So without further ado, let’s get going…
Wilde was highly Educated
He once said that, “one can never be overdressed or overeducated” and mind you, Wilde did prove this line to be true!
From an early age itself he showed incredible potential for creative arts and social studies, which is the sole reason why he took up several courses in esteemed universities from The United Kingdom and Ireland to Canada and The United States of America.
He had a knack for Interior Design and Fashion
Popularly known for his gaudy style sense, Wilde is utterly the very definition of fashion – like for instance, he used to often keep a carnation, especially green in colour, in the lapel of his jacket whenever he stepped out.
Apart from this, Wilde also sought after his house to personify his fashion in the best possible manner. Due to this, he used to paint his room in rich blue, decorate it with dragons and glued colourful peacock feathers all over the wall.
The last words uttered by him are known to be the epitome of it
Back in those days, Wilde was well-known as an exceptionally clever and eloquent playwright. And in spite of being in poor health because of cerebral meningitis, he didn’t fail to utter the most badass last words. Not to mention, they were as humorous as his many literary works.
Speaking of his last words, this is what it is reported to be: “My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go.” Now, isn’t that something worth remembering for the years to come?
He was the most inspiring Polyglot
After learning Greek for roughly around 9 years, Wilde was an outstanding polyglot and spoke in several languages. He was not just fluent in German, English and French, but also had heaps of knowledge about Greek and Italian.
But you know what the most shocking part about him is? Though he and his family originated in Ireland, Wilde couldn’t speak even a single word of Irish (now that’s something really surprising, isn’t it?).
He used to write essays even when he was put behind Bars
Regardless of the horrifying conditions Wilde was put through when in jail, he still continued to come up with some excellent literary work. He not only wrote several letters to Sir Alfred Douglas, but also an exceptional essay revolving around his imprisonment which was named as “The Battle of Reading Gaol”.
And guess what… this is the only essay where he explicitly talked about some of the most ruthless circumstances he had to put up with when he was in prison for nearly a span of 2 years.
His other half was also a Playwright
No doubt, Wilde was involved in several homosexual relations, but in the end he got married to Constance Lloyd. To tell you a bit about Constance, she was not just the mother of 2 sons, but also a talented writer… yes, she used to write children’s stories!
Speaking of her writing, in the year 1888 Constance published her 1st set of short stories named “There Was Once”. Well, we guess it’s would definitely be worth reading her book!
He is accredited with several quips
Speaking of Wilde’s witticism, he did speak cleverly and sharply, but he also made sure that his sayings were as amusing as him.
In his only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, he writes, “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” On the other hand, in The Importance of Being Earnest he says, “I never travel without my diary, one must always have something sensational to read on the train.”
There we have it – 7 untold, yet witty facts about Oscar Wilde’s family, occupation, personal life and interests. If you’re a fond of writers and their exceptional writings, then you must certainly dig in deeper to Oscar Wilde’s beautiful work as you won’t regret it – mark our words!