De Profundis (letter) Theatre in London. It was revived in 2008. An abridged version was set for speaking pianist by composer Frederic Rzewski. Extracts were set to music for chorus and orchestra in 2012 by the British composer Matthew King. De Profundis (letter) De Profundis (Latin: "from the depths") is a letter written by Oscar Wilde during his imprisonment in Reading Gaol, to "Bosie" (Lord Alfred Douglas). In its first half Wilde recounts their previous relationship and extravagant lifestyle which eventually led to Wilde's conviction and imprisonment for gross indecency. He indicts both Lord Alfred's vanity and his own weakness in acceding to
Lord Alfred Douglas stock market raid and no present of fine furniture". In 1924, while in prison, Douglas, in an echo of Wilde's composition of "De Profundis" (Latin for "From the Depths") during his incarceration, wrote his last major poetic work, "In Excelsis" (In the Highest), which contains 17 cantos. Since the prison authorities would not allow Douglas to take the manuscript with him when he was released, he had to rewrite the work from memory. Douglas maintained that his health never recovered from his harsh prison ordeal, which included sleeping on a plank bed without a mattress. Following his incarceration in 1924,