Constance Wilde
Constance Mary Wilde (née Lloyd ; born January 2, 1858 in London , † April 7, 1898 in Genoa ) was a British children's author and the wife of Oscar Wilde .
Life
Constance Mary Lloyd was the only daughter of attorney Horace Lloyd and his wife Adelaide, née Atkinson. She came from a wealthy family and was described as gracefully beautiful in her youth. She was well looked after, even after her marriage to the writer Oscar Wilde, she was getting around £ 1,000 a year. She met Wilde in 1884 and they married. The couple settled in the Chelsea neighborhood of London . They then had two sons, Cyril (1885-1915) and Vyvyan (1886-1967).
Shortly after the birth of the sons, rumors were circulating about her husband's homosexuality, but this did not prevent Constance from sticking with her husband, although Oscar Wilde was very open about his inclination at the time when homosexuality was punishable by men . Despite her trust in her husband, she had growing distrust in Lord Alfred Douglas , with whom Oscar Wilde had a long relationship.
In 1895 her husband was arrested for fornication and sentenced to two years in prison and hard labor in Reading Prison. Because of the ostracism, she went into exile, lived in Nuremberg , among other places, and changed her name to Holland. Yet, contrary to the advice of friends and family, she never filed for divorce. She died of unknown reasons and was buried under the name Constance Mary Lloyd. Years later, the line “Wife of Oscar Wilde” was carved on her tombstone.
Works
In addition to articles for the magazine The Woman's World , published by Oscar Wilde, Constance Wilde also wrote a number of books with children's stories.
- The Bairn's Annual. Leadenhall Press, London 1887.
- There Was Once: Grandma's Stories. With illustrations by John Lawson. Ernest Nister, London 1888.
- A Long Time Ago. Favorite stories re-told by Mrs. Oscar Wilde and others. With illustrations by EJ Andrews and RA Bell. Ernest Nister, London 1892.
- A dandy chair. Ernest Nister, London 1893.
- Cozy Corner. Ernest Nister, London, 1895.
- Favorite Nursery Stories. Ernest Nister, London.
literature
- Anne Clark Amor: Mrs. Oscar Wilde: A Woman of Some Importance . Sidgwick & Jackson, London 1983 (2nd edition 1988), ISBN 978-0-283-99743-3 .
- Franny Moyle: Constance: the tragic and scandalous life of Mrs Oscar Wilde. John Murray, London 2011, ISBN 978-1-8485-4162-7 .
Web links
- Constance Wilde. In: FemBio. Women's biography research (with references and citations).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wilde, Constance |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wilde, Constance Mary; Lloyd, Constance Mary (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British children's author, wife of Oscar Wilde |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 2, 1858 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 7, 1898 |
| Place of death | Genoa |