Not everyone knows where Oscar Wilde's grave is located and what is so special about it, why many people flock there every year. The article will fill the gap in knowledge. Moreover, it tells not only about the death and burial of a famous person, but also about how he was during his lifetime and what legacy he left for humanity after himself.
The life and death of a great writer
Oscar Wilde was born in Ireland in the middle of autumn 1854. It is unlikely that happy parents suspected at that moment that they were holding the future famous writer in their arms. However, the boy from an early age began to show amazing learning abilities, he quickly read, knew how to compose funny stories right off the bat, and, in the end, graduated from school with a gold medal.
Gradually, the young Wilde began to show interest in poetry. In England, collections of poems are published, he becomes famous and popular in the elite circles of society. In his most fruitful and happy years, Oscar Wilde was a fashionable society dandy, a brilliant publicist, playwright andphilosopher. But fate led him to a tragic end.
In 1891, the writer, being married, meets Lord Alfred Douglas and falls passionately in love with this young man. Gradually, this connection becomes known to the public, and the writer goes to jail for a criminal connection.
Prison, in which Wilde spent 2 long years, broke the writer, friends and wife turned away from him. He was released as a poor man, whom everyone despised. He died in France in 1900, at the age of 46, from acute meningitis. It is said that his death was painful.
Oscar Wilde's grave
The writer found his last refuge in the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Translated, this name sounds like "Father Lachaise", but is officially designated as the Eastern Cemetery or Cimetière de l'Est (in French). Pere Lachaise is called one of the largest museums of gravestones. Here are the burial places of such famous people as Molière, Balzac, Sarah Bernhardt, Marcel Marceau, Chopin, Edith Piaf and many other celebrities.
On the grave of Oscar Wilde there is a unique monument by the sculptor Epstein. This work of art was commissioned by American film actress Helen Carey. The headstone is a flying figure of some fantastic creature, either a sphinx, or a winged Assyrian bull, or a pagan god.
The Sphinx on the grave of Oscar Wilde attracts many tourists. Among them are not only faithful admirers of the writer's work, but also homosexuals.of all nationalities for whom Oscar Wilde has become something of a cult idol.
Tradition of kissing the monument
In the 80s of the last century, a strange tradition was born among Wilde's fans, which turned into a real mania. We are talking about the custom of kissing a flying figure, or at least a stone tombstone, over which it makes its eternal flight.
And it is supposedly necessary to kiss the monument with brightly painted lips. A legend arose, a belief that if you give your kiss to the statue over the writer's grave, you will never lose your love.
So, numerous lovers began to make a pilgrimage to the grave of Oscar Wilde, and they did not skimp on kisses. Because of this, the monument began to be covered with a greasy layer of lipstick. The headstone had to be constantly cleaned, but in the end the authorities decided to enclose it with a glass fence to protect the work of art from loving visitors.
In the photo you can see what the monument looked like before it was surrounded by a fence. However, they say that even now some particularly persistent lovers manage to leave a ritual kiss on the tombstone and take a selfie: "Paris, the grave of Oscar Wilde and us"…
Wilde's most famous works
The legacy of the writer and the most famous creations from his pen:
- the most famous novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray";
- story-tale "Cantervilleghost";
- play "An Ideal Husband";
- a series of fairy tales for adults and children ("The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Happy Prince", "The Infanta's Birthday", "The Star Boy", etc.).
Many of these works have been made into films and staged theatrical performances.
Conclusion
Well, our short story about the monument at the grave of Oscar Wilde has come to an end, and about what an unforgettable mark this man left in world literature. Perhaps some of the readers will have a desire to visit, if possible, the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris and bow to the ashes of the master.
