Oscar Wilde: A Life in Letters

19 April A Woman of No Importance produced at Haymarket Theatre

October Writes An Ideal Husband

November Lady Windermere’s Fan published

1894 9 February Salome published in English with Aubrey Beardsley’s illustrations

May In Florence with Douglas

11 June The Sphinx published

July ‘Poems in Prose’ published in the Fortnightly Review

August-September Writes The Importance of Being Earnest at Worthing

9 October A Woman of No Importance published

October At Brighton with Douglas

November ‘A Few Maxims for the Instruction of the Over-Educated’ published in the Saturday Review

December ‘Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young’ published in the Chameleon

1895 3 January An Ideal Husband produced at Haymarket Theatre

January-February Visits Algiers with Douglas

14 February The Importance of Being Earnest produced at St James’s Theatre

28 February Finds Queensberry’s card at Albemarle Club

1 March Obtains warrant for Queensberry’s arrest

9 March Queensberry remanded at Bow Street for trial at Old Bailey

12–20 March Visits Monte Carlo with Douglas

3 April Queensberry trial opens

5 April Queensberry acquitted. Wilde arrested at Cadogan Hotel and charged at Bow Street. Bail refused. Imprisoned at Holloway until first trial

24 April Sheriff’s sale of all Wilde’s possessions at his home, 16 Tite Street

26 April First trial opens

1 May Jury disagree

7 May Released on bail

20 May Second trial opens

25 May Convicted and sentenced to two years’ hard labour. Imprisoned at Pentonville

30 May The Soul of Man under Socialism published in book form

4 July Transferred to Wandsworth

12 November Declared bankrupt

20 November Transferred to Reading

1896 3 February Death of his mother, Lady Wilde

11 February Salome produced in Paris at the Theatre de l’Oeuvre

1897 January-March Writes De Profundis

19 May Released. Crosses to Dieppe

26 May Moves from Dieppe to Berneval-sur-Mer July-October Writes and revises The Ballad of Reading Gaol

?28 August Meets Douglas in Rouen

15 September Leaves Dieppe for Paris

20 September Arrives at Naples with Douglas

1898 February Returns to Paris

13 February The Ballad of Reading Gaol published

End March Moves to Hotel d’Alsace, rue des Beaux-Arts, Paris

7 April Death of Constance Wilde in Genoa after spinal operation

June-July At Nogent-sur-Marne

August At Chevennieres-sur-Marne

December Invited by Frank Harris to spend three months on French Riviera at Napoule near Cannes

1899 February The Importance of Being Earnest published. Leaves Napoule for Nice

25 February Leaves Nice to stay as Harold Mellor’s guest at Gland, Switzerland

13 March Willie Wilde, his brother, dies

1 April Leaves Gland for Santa Margherita on Italian Riviera