Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) is now widely recognized not only as one of the most representative figures of the British fin de siecle, but as one of the most influential Anglophone authors of the
nineteenth century. In Britain Wilde suffered a long period of comparative neglect following the scandal of his conviction for `gross indecency' in 1895 and it is only recently that his works
have been thoroughly reassessed. But while Wilde was subjected to silence in Britain, he became a European phenomenon. His famous dandyism, his witticisms, paradoxes and provocations became the
object of imitation and parody. His controversial aesthetic doctrines were a strong influence on Decadent writers and on the development of Symbolist and Modernist cultures.
This collection of essays by leading international scholars and translators traces the cultural impact of Oscar Wilde's work across Europe, from the earliest translations and performances of
his works in the 1890s to the present day.
