Though often a bit over-the-top and dramatic, the book offers a look at Wilde's career and personal life through the eyes of a friend. Harris was writing the book while many untrue rumors were still swirling about Wilde's life and sexual encounters - some of which made it into the book. "Oscar Wilde: His Life and Confessions" By Frank Harris (1916) Kessinger Publishing, 524 pages, $40.95 Wilde's friend and colleague Frank Harris wrote this, one of the first biographies of Wilde, in 1916. Here are my recommendations for some books that dive into much more detail about the life of this talented writer. And, believe me, these two tidbits of information are not the only interesting things about the life of Oscar Wilde. Wilde was himself a homosexual who was persecuted and sent to jail by the father of his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas.
Second, October is national GLBT history month. According to "Oscar Wilde," the Richard Ellmann biography, Wilde was the only literary figure to sign George Bernard Shaw's petition to pardon the anarchists involved in the Haymarket massacre. First, he has a small connection to Chicago. The more research I did, the more interesting reasons I found to write a timely story about Wilde now. I have read "The Picture of Dorian Gray," "The Importance of Being Earnest" and some of his poetry, but after a bit of research into Wilde, it became obvious that his life is more dramatic than anything he ever wrote. (It really is not hard to believe that this is something Wilde would have said, considering his high opinion of himself.) Whether Wilde really said that or not, Gervais' reminder got me thinking about the old Irish writer. In subsequent uses the quote seems to appear as a fact, without any additional sourcing. It was first attributed to Wilde in 1912 in the biography "Oscar Wilde: A Critical Study" by Arthur Ransome, a British author and journalist. In reality, this quote is somewhat unsourced. Here is a puzzle for you: What do Ricky Gervais, Oscar Wilde and your very own Printer's Row have in common? Last night I went to see Ricky Gervais' stand-up at the Chicago Theatre and he did a bit about Oscar Wilde's famous quote "I have nothing to declare except my genius." Ricky, of course, goes on to create an entire joke about how Wilde came up with said quote and the circumstances behind him actually declaring only his genius.
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