Thursday 28 May 2009

The Divine Oscar


When I was fourteen I visited the grave of Oscar Wilde in Pere Duchesne for the first time. It was 30 November, 2000, the hundredth anniversary of his death. I’d seen some of his plays performed by that time and fallen in love with his short stories, from an early acquaintance with The Happy Prince and The Selfish Giant. My reading has continued ever since.

It was really remarkable experience, being there, seeing the Epstein memorial covered in lipstick kisses, almost impossible to remove! There were so many people, including one extraordinary group dressed all in Edwardian costume.

The love for a true poet and artist never dies, and you are not staring at the stars, Oscar; you are among them, like a constellation.

3 comments:

  1. i really think his fairy tales collection "happy prince" are the most beautiful children's stories ever written. Too bad he was judged/persecuted by ignorance!

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  2. Yun yi, it is. Mother read The Happy Prince and The Selfish Giant to me when I was little. They made me cry so. :-)

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