However, his life changed dramatically when it was revealed that he was having a love affair with another man, and he was jailed for his homosexual inclinations. From that moment on he fell into disgrace and never managed to recover. This is his story.
An excerpt: "A journalist, motivated by the events, assured that Wilde had sexual relations with men. Thus, the writer had to face a new trial. During the proceedings, some passages from his 'Dorian Gray' were read, where, according to accusation, the homosexual relationship between the two protagonists clearly emerged. Although Wilde defended himself intelligently, it was of no use to him: on 25 May 1895 he was sentenced to two years of hard labor in Reading prison."
After serving his sentence, Wilde took refuge in Normandy, where he wrote "The Ballad of Reading Gaol", a work which, as Francisco Umbral stated, represents "the consecration of a great poet who would never have become such without this harsh proof of life and death." Despite everything, Wilde did not forget Douglas and reunited with him shortly afterwards, provoking the anger of Constance, who had left London with her children to avoid public scandal. However, the two men did not stay together for long, as their families threatened to stop sending them money if they continued the relationship. A situation that revealed how the once glorious Wilde was now reduced to such a dependence that he had to act against his own desires. After his wife's death, Wilde took refuge in Paris under the false name of Sebastian Melmoth, where he died shortly after, on November 30, 1900, far from his past glory, almost like a perfect stranger.
Over time, however, the wrong done to Wilde was righted, albeit slowly. His son Vyvyan, for example, was unable to enroll at Oxford University due to the contempt that still surrounded the figure of Oscar. (Vyvyan fought to rehabilitate his father's memory, editing his books and releasing complete versions of his texts, including "De Profundis," written for Douglas during his imprisonment.) Today, Wilde's figure is so famous that his tomb is among the most visited in Paris, as a tribute to a genius who should never have been doubted, for any reason.
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