The crowning plays of one of Ireland’s most heraldedartists

Oscar Wilde was at once a family man and a homosexual outsider, a socialite,socialist, and Irish nationalist. His contradictions inspired him to ponder theroles and masks donned in conventional society, and his acute and wry insightsare wonderfully displayed in this collection of his essential plays. Known notonly for his brilliant, epigrammatic language, but also for his sense oftheatrical design, color, and staging, Wilde created an enduring body of finelycrafted works, whose delights and ironies still speak to modern audiences. Inaddition toLady Windermere’s Fan, Salom, A Woman of No Importance, AnIdeal Husband, A Florentine Tragedy,andThe Importance ofBeing Earnest,this edition contains an introduction, notes andcommentaries, and an excised scene fromThe Importance of Being Earnest.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classicliterature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700titles,Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughouthistory and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust theseries toprovide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes bydistinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well asup-to-datetranslations by award-winning translators.

About the Author

Oscar Wilde(18541900) was an Irish writer,poet, and playwright. His novel,The Picture of Dorian Gray,brought him lasting recognition, and he became one of the most successfulplaywrights of the late Victorian era with a series of witty social satires,including his masterpiece,The Importance of Being Earnest.