The Fall of the House of Wilde: Oscar Wilde and His Family

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‘Emer O'Sullivan has made an indispensable contribution to Wildean literature … Compelling, informative and fascinating’ - Stephen Fry

‘Vivid and meticulously researched … The name of Wilde stands for what is singular, independent-minded, and fearless . Words that also describe this splendid book *****’ - Frances Wilson, Mail on Sunday

‘O'Sullivan vividly evokes the cultural vitalities Oscar inherited from the house he was born into … Hugely readable’ - John Sutherland, The Times ________________

Oscar Wilde’s father - scientist, surgeon, archaeologist, writer - was one of the most eminent men of his generation. His mother - poet, journalist, translator - hosted an influential salon at 1 Merrion Square. Together they were one of Victorian Ireland’s most dazzling and enlightened couples. When, in 1864, Sir William Wilde was accused of sexually assaulting a female patient, it sent shock waves through Dublin society. After his death some ten years later, Jane attempted to re-establish the family in London, where Oscar burst irrepressibly upon the scene, only to fall in a trial as public as his father’s.

A remarkable and perceptive account, The Fall of the House of Wilde is a major repositioning of our first modern celebrity, a man whose fall from grace marked the end of fin de siecle decadence.