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Author! Author! at the R.F.Burton Library

Do you know the Victorian writer who said the following? 

A little
sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.
 

Always
forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.
 

America is
the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in
between.
 

Anyone who
lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.
 

At twilight,
nature is not without loveliness, though perhaps its chief use is to illustrate
quotations from the poets.
 

Consistency
is the last refuge of the unimaginative.
 

I always like
to know everything about my new friends, and nothing about my old ones.
 

I am not
young enough to know everything.
 

If you want
to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.
 

Man is least
himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you
the truth.
 

One can
survive everything, nowadays, except death, and live down everything except a
good reputation.
 

One should
always play fairly when one has the winning cards.
 

Ah!
Good for you. This month’s featured author is Oscar Wilde. From his official
web site:

Oscar Wilde’s rich and
dramatic portrayals of the human condition came during the height of the
Victorian Era that swept through London in the late 19th century. At a time
when all citizens of Britain were finally able to embrace literature the
wealthy and educated could only once afford, Wilde wrote many short stories,
plays and poems that continue to inspire millions around the world.

Birthname: Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie
Wills Wilde

Birth date: October 16, 1854

Birth place: Dublin, Ireland

Death date: November 30, 1900

Death place: Paris, France

Burial: La Pére Lachaise
Cemetery, Paris, France

Occupation: Playwright, novelist,
poet, editor
 

Parents: Sir William Wilde and Jane
Francesca Elgee

Siblings: Henry, Emily, Mary,
William, Isola

Spouse: Constance Lloyd

Children: Cyril and Vyvyan 

Did you know? 

• Although a proficient and versatile writer,
Wilde only wrote one novel during his lifetime: “The Picture of Dorian Gray,”
published in 1891.
 

• Possessed three middle names at birth. 

• Went on a lecture tour throughout the
United States, London and Canada to teach aesthetic values in 1879.
 

• Regarded as one of the greatest playwrights
of the Victorian Era, Wilde wrote and produced nine plays.
 

• Nine biographies have been written on Wilde
since his death, one of them by his grandson, Merlin Holland, in 1997.
 


Several biographical films, television series and stage plays have been
produced on the life of Oscar Wilde since 1960.

http://www.cmgww.com/historic/wilde/index.php

 

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2 Comments

  1. Serafina Puchkina Serafina Puchkina October 14, 2010

    [img_assist|nid=998|title=|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=440|height=640]

  2. Aeolus Cleanslate Aeolus Cleanslate October 15, 2010

    Wait – isn’t that Stephen Fry?

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