I have benefited over the years of working on Wilde’s letters from the generosity and kindness of many scholars, collectors and friends, all acknowledged at length in The Complete Letters; for reasons of space it is not possible here to reiterate my thanks in detail, but they know who they are and I hope that they will accept a general expression of my profound gratitude once more. To Rupert Hart-Davis I owe, together with my family, more than mere words can express; I have dedicated this selection to his memory with much love and respect. It was his decision fifty years ago to publish the first edition of Oscar Wilde’s letters which helped to put my grandfather back into the position which he lost in 1895 as one of the most charismatic and fascinating figures in English literary history.
Lastly my thanks to Mitzi Angel and Catherine Blyth at Fourth Estate for their old-style professionalism as true publisher’s editors, friends and advisers.
MERLIN HOLLAND
St Martin-sous-Montaigu
August, 2003
Chronological Table
1854—16 October Oscar Wilde born at 21 Westland Row, Dublin
1855—June Family moves to I Merrion Square North
1864–71—At Portora Royal School, Enniskillen
1871—Wins scholarship to Trinity College, Dublin
1873—June Wins Trinity Foundation Scholarship
1874—Wins Berkeley Gold Medal for Greek
June Wins Demyship in Classics to Magdalen College, Oxford
October Goes up to Magdalen
1875—June Travels in Italy with his old Trinity Classics Tutor, J. P. Mahaffy
1876—19 April Death of father, Sir William Wilde
5 July Gains first class in Classical Moderations (Mods)
1877 March-April Visits Greece with Mahaffy, returning via Rome
1878 10 June Wins Newdigate Poetry Prize with ‘Ravenna’
19 July Gains first class in Literae Humaniores (Greats)
28 November Takes BA degree
1879 February Takes rooms with Frank Miles at 13 Salisbury Street, London
1880 Writes and publishes Vera
August Moves with Miles to Keats House, Tite Street, Chelsea
1881 June First edition of Poems published by David Bogue
24 December Sails to New York for lecture tour of the United States
1882 Lectures in US and Canada all year
1883 February-May In Paris, at Hotel Voltaire where he writes The Duchess of Padua for the American actress Mary Anderson who then turns it down
?July Moves into rooms at 9 Charles Street, London
August-September Visits New York briefly for first production of Vera with Marie Prescott in the lead; it is not a success September Begins lecture tour of UK which lasts off and on for a year
26 November Becomes engaged to Constance Lloyd while lecturing in Dublin
1884 29 May Married to Constance Lloyd in London
May-June On honeymoon in Paris and Dieppe
1885 January Moves into 16 Tite Street, Chelsea
May ‘The Truth of Masks’ published in the Nineteenth Century
5 June Cyril Wilde born
1886 Meets Robert Ross who remains lifelong friend and after his death becomes his literary executor
3 November Vyvyan Wilde born
1887 February-March ‘The Canterville Ghost’ published in the Court & Society Review
May ‘The Sphinx without a Secret’ published in the World and ‘Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime’ in the Court & Society Review
June ‘The Model Millionaire’ published in the World
November Becomes editor of Woman’s World
1888 May The Happy Prince and Other Tales published
December ‘The Young King’ published in the Lady’s Pictorial
1889 January ‘The Decay of Lying’ published in the Nineteenth Century and ‘Pen, Pencil and Poison’ in the Fortnightly Review
March ‘The Birthday of the Infanta’ published in Paris Illustre
July Gives up editorship of Woman’s World. ‘The Portrait of Mr W. H.’ appears in Blackwood’s Magazine
1890 20 June ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ appears in Lippincott’s Magazine
July-September Both parts of ‘The Critic as Artist’ published these months in the Nineteenth Century
1891 26 January First production of The Duchess of Padua under the title Guido Ferranti. It opens anonymously in New York and runs for only three weeks
February ‘The Soul of Man under Socialism’ published in the Fortnightly Review
April The Picture of Dorian Gray published in book form with additional chapters and a preface
2 May Intentions published (comprising ‘The Truth of Masks’, ‘The Critic as Artist’, ‘Pen, Pencil & Poison’ and ‘The Decay of Lying’)
?June Meets Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie)
July Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories (the other stories being ‘The Sphinx without a Secret’, ‘The Canterville Ghost’ and ‘The Model Millionaire’) published in book form
November A House of Pomegranates published. It included ‘The Young King’, ‘The Birthday of the Infanta’, ‘The Fisherman and his Soul’ and ‘The Star Child’, the last two of which had not been published before
November-December Writes Salome in Paris
1892 20 February Lady Windermere’s Fan produced at St James’s Theatre
June A production of Salome with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role is banned by the Lord Chamberlain July Takes cure at Homburg
August-September Writes A Woman of No Importance in Norfolk
1893 22 February Salome published in French
19 April A Woman of No Importance produced at Haymarket Theatre
October Writes An Ideal Husband
November Lady Windermere’s Fan published
