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    Life Wisdom From Oscar Wilde On His Birthday

    Alas, he is long dead. Helpfully, he wrote a lot of the good stuff down.

    On this day in 1854, in Dublin, Ireland, a baby was born. It was named Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde.

    Within 46 years, that baby had become a man, suffered, made literature, and died.

    He seems to have spent a lot of time lounging around and thinking things over.

    He was brilliant and hilarious.

    The brilliance and hilarity just kept coming.

    At least one famous artist painted his portrait.

    And Stephen Fry has played him in a movie.

    View this video on YouTube

    YouTube

    Wilde's modernness made him a target for Victorian homophobia. He found himself prosecuted for "gross indecency" and sent to prison. Here's a scene showing his response to the prosecutor.

    The movie Wilde, one of several about Wilde, also starred Jude Law, Michael Sheen, Vanessa Redgrave, and Tom Wilkinson. Not bad, not bad.

    His work has inspired exquisite Art Nouveau...

    ...and freaky vintage pulp paperbacks.

    His wisdom is enduring and versatile.

    Hence the frequent smooching of his gravestone.