Oscar Wilde, Salome

Matthew Kaiser (University of California, Merced)

Ed. by Grace Moore, University of Otago
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1893 - 1894

Places

Ireland, Republic of (Eire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

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Wilde’s one-act tragedy

Salomé

, an account of the beheading of John the Baptist and of the princess who danced for his death, is the fruit of his late-autumn 1891 sojourn in Paris, where the Irish playwright was “studying the curious and fascinating development of Art in France” (Wilde, 2000, p. 499). Written in French in 1891–92 and translated into English in 1893–94, with the assistance of Wilde’s undergraduate lover Alfred Douglas, the avant-garde play is his most experimental and controversial work. It was not until 11 February 1896, when Wilde was incarcerated at Reading Gaol in Great Britain, that

Salomé

debuted for one night only in Paris, produced by actor-director Aurélien Lugné-Poe’s (1869–1940) theatre company Théâtre de l’Œuvre. Lugné-Poe played the…

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6711 words

Citation: Kaiser, Matthew. "Salome". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 August 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2294, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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