"Even before his borth, the life of Oscar Wilde was one shaped by dark, otherworldly forces. From a childhood spent in the fabled lands of Tír na nÓg to his star-crossed romance with Lord Alfred Douglas, Wilde's trajectory through the artistic and social worlds of his day seemed guided by strange works, including Salomé and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

In this focused biographical account, author Nina Antonia examines the florid tapestry of the playwright's tragic ascent and fall, revealing, as Wilde himself called it, "the note of doom that like a purplse thread" ran through - and eventually cut short - the life of one of literature's most celerated and scandalous icons."--Page 4 of cover