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
The Manuscripts of Oscar Wilde The Manuscripts of Oscar Wilde The original manuscripts of Oscar Wilde today reside in many collections, including the British Library. The largest and most comprehensive is to be found at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, UCLA. This collection includes typescripts and copies of many letters and associated documents from Wilde's circle. Scholarly accounts of the manuscripts and Wilde's methods of working can be found among the many graduate and post graduate works. The library's collection of materials features early purchases from Wilde's son Vyvyan Holland, the bibliographer Christopher Millard, and literary executor Robert Ross. This group of autograph letters