Oscar Wilde (Dublin, Ireland, 1854 Paris, France, 1900), author and critic, was a popular literary figure in late 19th century London. After graduating from Oxford University, he moved to London to pursue a literary career. He became involved in the Aesthetic movement, which advocated art for art s sake. A celebrated playwright, he wrote and produced very popular comedies, including The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). His only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), was panned as immoral by Victorian critics, but is now considered one of his most notable works. Married with two children, Wilde was unconventional in his writing and his life. His affair with a young man led to his arrest on charges of gross indecency in 1895, and he was sentenced to two years of hard labor (1895-1897). With his health damaged and his reputation ruined, he died in poverty three years after his release, at the age of 46.