Opinion Poll. Greatest Irish writer/playwright/poet?
- Thread starter PlainPat
- Start date
Oscar Wilde. He was all of the above -- brilliant writer, playwright, and poet. And he was also Irish!- though surprisingly few people seem to know this.
His novel 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' is a real classic of Gothic fiction.
His play 'The Importance of Being Earnest' is a classic comedy of manners.
His poem 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol' is a powerful cry against capital punishment and intolerance.
He coined hundreds of epigrams and phrases (many still in common use), and is famous for his biting wit.
So I suppose they are the reasons he was the obvious choice to my mind. There are probably Irish writers who have written better novels, Irish playwrights who have written better plays, and Irish poets who have written better poems, but Wilde was brilliant with all these forms. And you did happen to ask for the 'greatest Irish writer/playwright/poet'!
His novel 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' is a real classic of Gothic fiction.
His play 'The Importance of Being Earnest' is a classic comedy of manners.
His poem 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol' is a powerful cry against capital punishment and intolerance.
He coined hundreds of epigrams and phrases (many still in common use), and is famous for his biting wit.
So I suppose they are the reasons he was the obvious choice to my mind. There are probably Irish writers who have written better novels, Irish playwrights who have written better plays, and Irish poets who have written better poems, but Wilde was brilliant with all these forms. And you did happen to ask for the 'greatest Irish writer/playwright/poet'!
Oscar Wilde. He was all of the above -- brilliant writer, playwright, and poet. And he was also Irish!- though surprisingly few people seem to know this.
His novel 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' is a real classic of Gothic fiction.
His play 'The Importance of Being Earnest' is a classic comedy of manners.
His poem 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol' is a powerful cry against capital punishment and intolerance.
He coined hundreds of epigrams and phrases (many still in common use), and is famous for his biting wit.
So I suppose they are the reasons he was the obvious choice to my mind. There are probably Irish writers who have written better novels, Irish playwrights who have written better plays, and Irish poets who have written better poems, but Wilde was brilliant with all these forms. And you did happen to ask for the 'greatest Irish writer/playwright/poet'!
His novel 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' is a real classic of Gothic fiction.
His play 'The Importance of Being Earnest' is a classic comedy of manners.
His poem 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol' is a powerful cry against capital punishment and intolerance.
He coined hundreds of epigrams and phrases (many still in common use), and is famous for his biting wit.
So I suppose they are the reasons he was the obvious choice to my mind. There are probably Irish writers who have written better novels, Irish playwrights who have written better plays, and Irish poets who have written better poems, but Wilde was brilliant with all these forms. And you did happen to ask for the 'greatest Irish writer/playwright/poet'!