De Profundis
Oscar Wilde
De Profundis
4.22from 27,232 ratingson Goodreads
"De Profundis" by Oscar Wilde is a letter written between January and March 1897 during his imprisonment in Reading Gaol. Addressed to his former lover Lord Alfred Douglas, the letter reflects on their tumultuous relationship and the extravagance that led to Wilde's conviction for gross indecency. In its pages, Wilde examines both Douglas's vanity and his own failings, then charts his spiritual transformation in prison and profound identification with Christ as a romantic artist. Written under strict supervision, the complete text wasn't published until decades after Wilde's death.
About the author
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet and critic, and the most quoted wit of his century. His comedies made fun of the respectable London society that filled their theatres, and his one novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was attacked as immoral on publication and then used against him in court. In 1895, at the height of his success with The Importance of Being Earnest, he was convicted of "gross indecency" and sentenced to two years' hard labour; the imprisonment produced De Profundis and The Ballad of Reading Gaol and ruined his health. He died in Paris three years after his release, aged forty-six.