Oscar Wilde’s rich and dramatic portrayals of the human condition came during the height of the Victorian Era that swept through London in the late 19th century.At a time when all citizens of Britain were finally able to embrace literature the wealthy and educated could only once afford,Wilde wrote many short stories,plays and poems that continue to inspire millions around the world.
By the time William Wilde,Oscar’s father,was 28,he had graduated as a doctor,completed a voyage to Madeira,Teneriffe,North Africa and the Middle East,studied at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London,written two books and been appointed medical advisor to the Irish Census of 1841.When the medical statistics were published two years later they contained data which had not been collected in any other country at the time,and as a result,William became the Assistant Commissioner to the 1851 Census.He held the same position for the two succeeding Censuses and,in 1864,he was knighted for his work on them.When William opened a Dublin practice specializing in ear and eye diseases,he felt he should make some provision for the free treatment of the city's poor population.In 1844,he founded St.Mark's Ophthalmic Hospital,built entirely at his own expense.
