The latest edition of The Wildean, No. 64, has a focus on Oscar Wilde’s ‘House Beautiful,’ and to celebrate the Oscar Wilde Society held a launch event at two flats in Tite Street that were once Oscar and Constance’s home. Some of the highlights of this event are featured in the video below.
Rob Marland discussed the artwork and other decorations in the Wilde home, including the copper plaque of Isola. Rob Marland’s talk and images can be found on his blog: https://marlandonwilde.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-interior-design-of-oscar-wildes.html
Ralf Eikelberg, an interior architect with London Atelier, explored the renovations to two flats that were formerly Wilde’s London home. Learn more about London Atelier at https://www.londonatelier.com/
Fr. Liam Quinlan brought a plaque of Isola Wilde by American artist John Donoghue to the event, the first time it has been in Wilde’s house since 1895, and explained how he acquired it.
Gyles Brandreth, the honorary president of the Oscar Wilde Society, gave a moving reading of ‘No. 34 Tite Street: Oct. 16, 1954’, a poem on the installation of a blue plaque outside Wilde’s former home, written by K.W. Gransden, whose daughters were present at the Oscar Wilde Society event. The Wildean 64 includes an in-depth article by Devon Cox on the plaque’s history.
Iain Ross, The Wildean’s books reviews editor, read a poem by Lionel Johnson praising Wilde for The Picture of Dorian Gray, in the very room where Johnson introduced Wilde to his friend, Lord Alfred Douglas. Lionel Johnson’s poem can be found in Nina Antonia’s book Incurable: The Haunted Writings of Lionel Johnson, the Decadent Era’s Dark Angel, published by Strange Attractor Press.
The Oscar Wilde Society is grateful to all the speakers at this event, and especially to Karen Caddick and Jen Elliott-Bennett for hosting the event in their homes.
To purchase a copy of The Wildean 64, visit https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/publications/the-wildean/