In Praise of Disobedience

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was born in Dublin, Ireland, and educated at Trinity College Dublin and Oxford. He first made a name for himself as an ostentatious lecturer on aestheticism. He published articles, short stories, and one novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, before achieving success as a playwright. He was imprisoned for homosexuality and sentenced to two years' hard labour. On his release, he sought exile on the Continent, wrote little, and was never to see his children again.

Neil Bartlett is a British playwright and novelist. He became Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith in London in 1994; since leaving the Lyric in 2005 he has worked with many of the UK's most prestigious theatres and theatrical festivals. His first book was a study of Oscar Wilde, Who's That Man?, part biography and part fantasia, exploring gay London culture across a span of one hundred years. Bartlett has written novels, plays, and adaptations, and is an accomplished translator. His most recent novel, The Disappearance Boy, was nominated for the Stonewall Author of the Year Award.