Oscar Wilde hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison, he wrote "De Profundis" (published posthumously in 1905), a long letter which discusses his spiritual journey through his trials, forming a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On his release, he left immediately for France, never to return to Ireland or Britain. There he wrote his last work, "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life. He died destitute in Paris at the age of 46. Oscar Wilde was born at 21
Oscar Wilde other documents that remained uncollected. Sturgis incorporates this scholarly work and rediscovered material in the most extensively researched biography of Wilde to appear since 1988. Wilde's charm also had a lasting effect on Parisian literati, who produced several original biographies and monographs on him. André Gide, on whom Wilde had such a strange effect, wrote "In Memoriam, Oscar Wilde"; Wilde also features in his journals. Thomas Louis, who had earlier translated books on Wilde into French, produced his own "L'esprit d'Oscar Wilde" in 1920. Modern books include Philippe Jullian's "Oscar Wilde", and "L'affaire Oscar Wilde, ou, Du danger de laisser