Oscar said that in an interview for The Sketch. However, at the Oscar Wilde Society we believe that we have never been regarded as a 'clique' and at none of our events, which are invariably the most civilised of occasions, has a meat tea ever been served. Indeed, many of our members are glad to say that they have never seen a meat tea.

Founded in 1990, The Oscar Wilde Society is a literary society devoted to the congenial appreciation of Oscar Wilde. It is a non-profit making organisation which aims to promote knowledge, appreciation and study of Wilde's life, personality, and works. It organises lectures, readings, and discussions about Wilde and his works, and visits to places associated with him. The Society's Journal of Oscar Wilde Studies, "The Wildean", is published twice a year. The illustrated Newsletter Journal "Intentions" is published six times a year.

Death in Genoa

We are delighted to announce that a new audio drama by Thomas Wright, Death in Genoa, is being broadcast on the website of The Independent newspaper and is available for free download.

The actors give a charming rendering of a delightful play and we are confident that you will enjoy listening to it immensely.

We cordially recommend visiting www.independent.co.uk/drama

New Wilde Article

Perhaps the least explored terrain in the world of Wilde scholarship is the influence Oscar's life and work have had on American writers of all genres. Patricia Highsmith, The Dark Lady of American Letters and the subject of Joan Schenkar’s new literary biography, The Talented Miss Highsmith, was both inspired and influenced by Oscar Wilde from the time she was seventeen years old. And one bright, beautiful day in July of 1962, she decided to do something about it….

Patricia Highsmith & Oscar Wilde: the Dark Lady of American Letters Meets Her Match in Père Lachaise

It's 12 July, 1962. And it's Paris. Patricia Highsmith –- the forty-one year old author of such dark-hearted fictions as Strangers On a Train, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Deep Water -- has just emerged from a lengthy ride on the Paris Metro. Her alabaster skin and almond eyes have already begun to show the signs of her drinking and her disappointments.

Pat enters an imposing gate set in a stone wall so long she can't see the end of it, keeping  her eyes on her size 9 1/2 shoes as they walk her up and over the hilly, cobblestoned streets of France's largest literary gathering ground: Père Lachaise cemetery. She is as interested in counterfeit, forgery and homosexuality as the still-dishonoured gentleman she has come to visit.

You can read the story of Pat Highsmith's surprising visit to Oscar Wilde in Père Lachaise by clicking here . "Patricia Highsmith & Oscar Wilde" will be published on this American website  on 30 November 2009,  the 109th anniversary of Oscar's death.

Joan Schenkar is the author of the literary biographies, Truly Wilde: the Unsettling Story of Dolly Wilde, Oscar's interesting Niece (2000) and The Talented Miss Highsmith: the Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith (December 2009), as well as Signs of Life: Six Comedies of Menace (1998). She lives in Paris and Greenwich Village. Members of the Society who visited Paris in July 2009 will recall her fascinating talk about Dolly Wilde.

NEW PUBLICATION.

The Society has just issued the first edition of a hitherto unpublished work by Oscar Wilde.

Oscar Wilde: The Women of Homer, edited by Thomas Wright and Donald Mead, was published by the Oscar Wilde Society on 1st November 2008 in a cloth bound hardback illustrated edition limited to 130 numbered copies. Full details and a purchase form are on the Publications page.

Please take a look around for information on Oscar Wilde and The Oscar Wilde Society. You can also find out about our forthcoming events and discover how you can join the Society.