Oscar Wilde

by H. Montgomery Hyde

Aesthete, dandy, poet, dramatist and philosopher Oscar Wilde's wit and charm dazzled society in London, America and Paris in the late 1880s. But the year 1895 brought Wilde literary triumph -with two plays achieving phenomenal success in London's West End -and personal disaster. Urged on by his friend Lord Alfred Douglas, Wilde brought a libel action against Lord Alfred's father, the eccentric Marquess of Queensberry. The ensuing trials at the Old Bailey revealed Wilde's reckless adventures in the London underworld and he was sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour. This fascinating biography examines both sides of Wilde's the artistic genius who gave us "The Importance of Being Ernest" and "The Picture of Dorian Gray", and the man who visited male prostitutes and was pre-occupied with sin. As well as following Wilde's life from its Dublin beginnings to its end in Paris, this masterly study explores his friendships and literary circle, which included writers such as Yeats, Proust and Gide.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History

410 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Harford Montgomery Hyde was born on 14 August 1907 in Belfast, the son of James Johnstone Hyde and Isobel Greenfield (née Montgomery). He was educated at Sedbergh School; Queen's University, Belfast (where he gained a first class History degree); then at Magdalen College Oxford (where he gained a second class law degree). He was called to the bar in 1934. From 1935-1939, Hyde was librarian and Private Secretary to the 7th Marquess of Londonderry. In 1939 he married Dorothy Mabel Brayshaw Crofts (divorced 1952).

During World War II, Hyde held several positions. He served as an Assistant Censor in Gibraltar (1940) and was commissioned in the intelligence corps and engaged in counter-espionage work in the United States under Sir William Stephenson, Director of British Security Co-ordination in the Western Hemisphere (whose life Hyde published as "The Quiet Canadian" in 1962). He was also Military Liaison and Security Officer, Bermuda (1940-41); Assistant Passport Control Officer, New York (1941-2); with British Army Staff, USA (1942-4); attached to the Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Force (1944) and then to the Allied Commission for Austria (1944-5).

Hyde was the Assistant Editor of the Law Reports (1946-7), then Legal Adviser to the British Lion Film Corporation Ltd (1947-9). From 1950-59 he was a Unionist MP for East Belfast and was the UK Delegate to the Council of Europe Consultative Assembly in Strasbourg (1952-5). From 1958-61 Hyde was an Honorary Colonel of the Intelligence Corps (Territorial Army), Northern Ireland. After losing his parliamentary seat, Hyde was Professor of History and Political Science at the University of the Punjab in Lahore (1959-61).

In 1955, Hyde married his second wife Mary Eleanor Fischer. The marriage was dissolved in 1966 and he married Rosalind Roberts Dimond. He died on August 10 1989.

Hyde wrote a great many books on a wide variety of subjects including "The Rise of Castlereagh" (1933); "The Quiet Canadian" (1962); "Cynthia" (1962) and "Secret Intelligence Agent" (1982).

The held at Churchill Archives Centre chiefly consist of the papers and letters Montgomery Hyde collected and generated in the course of writing three of his books: "The Quiet Canadian" (a biography of Sir William Stephenson, Director of British Security Co-ordination in the Western Hemisphere, 1940-46); "Cynthia" (a biography of the British agent Elizabeth (Pack) Brousse); and "Secret Intelligence Agent" (which included descriptions of his own wartime experiences). The collection also includes papers and letters relating to Hyde's work in Censorship and Security in Gibraltar, Bermuda and the USA during the Second World War; and in the legal division of the Allied Control Commission in Austria.

Reviews

[Danika · Rating 2 out of 5]

 H. Montgomery Hyde’s biography of Oscar Wilde is exhaustive, heavily laced with long quotations from letters, articles, and written recollections by, to, or about Wilde and his works.  Hyde traces Wilde from a brief history of his ancestry and his parents’ lives in Ireland, through his schoolboy years and his time at Trinity and Magdalen, to the height of his fame in the London theatre and its swift change to infamy with his libel suit against Queensberry, his subsequent imprisonment, his final years as an exile in Europe, his death in Paris, and beyond, to the author’s personal attendance at the ceremony held on the 50th anniversary of Wilde’s death.  

While he covers everything minutely, Hyde is leery of drawing conclusions about motives, relationships, and personal feelings, which is perhaps a blessing, as he seems to firmly believe homosexual behavior is the result of a pathology and doesn’t seem entirely averse to the idea of it being treated as criminal, even as he seems sympathetic to Wilde’s suffering on trial and in prison.  His views on that subject seem to be the cause for the few places where he does attempt to draw conclusions about motive and personal feelings: the early parts of the book are sprinkled with examples that Hyde uses to stereotypically demonstrate that Wilde was attracted to women and can’t possibly have been (entirely) homosexual –though he freely applies the term to many of Wilde’s contemporaries.  He is also dismissive (though he does make mention) of a few possible male partners Wilde may have had before marrying Constance Lloyd, to whom, he insists, Wilde was very attracted.  These attempts all culminate with several pages at the end of Part One, in which Hyde declares the sole reason for Wilde’s homosexual experimentation was that he had contracted syphilis, which put a (he claims) reluctant end to physical relations with his wife, leaving him no outlet but other men.  

Hyde also seems to have met and interviewed Alfred Douglas while he was still alive, and his almost complete lack of comment on that individual—other than a quote from the interview in which Douglas affirms that of course he and Wilde never had sex—do make the book seem to lack something.  Still, it is extensive, and quotations and factual information given can allow the readers to begin to draw their own conclusions about Wilde’s life and loves.  

[Rees Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Speranza was his mother she was an artist too, Speranza is Italian for hope and that was the name she used as an artist for years.
She was infatuated with writing letters and scriptures, Although Oscar Wildes's work is exceptional I believe his mother was quite the artist also.

His mother wrote to her romantic lover " I have no interest in friendship but something that might be on the fringes of becoming so"... It was something very similar to that. And was one of the best quotes in the book.

I cannot go into detail about this book, definite read. Oscar Wilde is truly amazing and I would highly recommend anything he has published as a priority for anybody interested in philosophy.

I have always wanted to visit France and see his memorial but it is cornered off now.
There is just lipstick and writings on his headstone from infatuated fans, Great philosopher.

[Larry Hostetler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew very little about Oscar Wilde when I began reading this, other than that he was quite witty and had written "The Importance of Being Earnest" which I had read recently.

What and interesting, tragic, and relatively short life he lived. But it is safe to say he packed plenty into his 46 years. While the story is interesting there were footnotes throughout that I eventually ended up ignoring or it would have taken me much longer to get through the 439 pages.

I wish there had more of his famous "epigrams" as they are called in the book. There are multiple references to how he was able to entertain - throughout his life - and how others would avoid joining in a conversation in order to be able to listen to his singular views on many issues. He once said he could expound on pretty much any topic, and unfortunately we have too little recounted of these sessions. Especially in the book, otherwise it might have been 800 pages long.

But references are made to other books about Wilde, and a bibliography is included for those who want more.

Without going into the triumphs and vicissitudes of Wilde's life, suffice it to say reading about him gave insight into a very interesting time, place, and life. It is a good read.

[mirole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book, half of it is his trial.

Oscar Wilde was a fascinating man!