In a recent discovery, three books from Oscar Wilde’s personal collection were identified at University College London (UCL). This revelation marks a new step in retroactive LGBT justice for the gay Irish playwright and Trinity alum.
The original collection of Oscar Wilde included over 2,000 books. However, after Wilde was arrested for “gross indecency with another male” in 1895. The collection, along with the rest of Wilde’s belongings, was possessed and auctioned off to pay for legal debts incurred. This came after an accusation made by the Marquess of Queensbury, father of the English poet and Wilde’s secret lover, Lord Alfred Douglas.
This auction has resulted in a serious gap in LGBT literary history considering only 40 of the original books have since been identified.
However, due to the work of Sarah Pipkin, outreach and exhibitions co-ordinator in UCL special collections, three new books from the collection have been identified. After the librarian noticed corresponding hand-written notes made by the buyer in all three books, they were confirmed to have been sold at the Wilde auction.
The three new books confirm Wilde’s diverse and eclectic tastes as well as his Asian literary influences.
“The fact we have been able to identify these books at all is a miracle really. They are a slice of LGBTQ+ history,” said Pipkin.
One of the books discovered was Wilde’s personal copy of his own play Salomé, published in French after it was banned in England by the official censor, Lord Chamberlain, for its depiction of Biblical characters. Unfortunately, Wilde never saw an on-stage production of the play, which premiered in Paris a year after his imprisonment.
The two other books uncovered are The Golden Lotus and Other Legends of Japan by Edward Greey and an 1882 translation of Persian author Mullana Abdulrahman Jami’s The Book of Joseph and Zuleikhaa.
The notes made in the copy of The Golden Lotus reveal a previously unknown connection between the author Edward Greey and Wilde. The title page includes a note written for Wilde by the author, wishing him a Happy New Year in a mixture of Japanese and English. The book was a gift from Greey to Wilde.
These discoveries signify a small step in undoing the remarkably unfair punishment and censorship imposed on one of Ireland’s greatest writers.
