Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was an Irish playwright, poet, novelist, essayist who became one of London‘s most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. Today he is remembered for his epigrams, his many plays and wonderful short stories and the tragedy of his imprisonment. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress, and glittering conversation, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty. At the height of his fame, after a series of trials, Wilde was convicted of gross indecency with other men and was imprisoned for two years and held to hard labour. SF Bay Times Article
Find his plaque on Castro between 17th and 18th Sts