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The Oscar Wilde Society
A literary society devoted to the congenial appreciation of Oscar Wilde
Who We Are
About The Oscar Wilde Society
Founded in 1990, The Oscar Wilde Society is a literary society devoted to the congenial appreciation of Oscar Wilde. It is a nonprofit making organisation which aims to promote knowledge, appreciation and study of Wilde’s life, personality, and works. It organises lectures, readings, and discussions about Wilde and his works, and visits to places associated with him. The Society’s peer-reviewed journal of Oscar Wilde studies, The Wildean, is published twice a year. The illustrated newsletter Intentions is published about four times a year and members also receive the e-newsletter Oscariana giving information about Society and public events.
I have always had grave suspicions that the basis of all literary cliques is a morbid love of meat teas. That makes them sadly uncivilised.
Oscar said that in an interview for The Sketch. However, at the Oscar Wilde Society we believe that we have never been regarded as a ‘clique’ and at none of our events, which are invariably the most civilised of occasions, has a meat tea ever been served. Indeed, many of our members are glad to say that they have never seen a meat tea.
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Our President and Patrons
The Society’s Honorary President, appointed in 2015, is Gyles Brandreth, a renowned Oscar Wilde enthusiast. Don Mead, BEM, previously chairman of the Society, is the Hon. Vice President.
The Oscar Wilde Society welcomes new members. The Oscar Wilde Society is a literary society devoted to the congenial appreciation of Oscar Wilde. We are a non-profit organisation, which aims to promote knowledge, appreciation and study of Wilde’s life, personality and work.
We organise for our members lectures, readings and discussions about Wilde and his writings, visits to places associated with Wilde, an annual lunch in Oxford and an annual Birthday Dinner in London.
Members receive two journals:
- The Wildean, A Journal of Oscar Wilde Studies which is published twice a year.
- Intentions which is published four times a year. Information about Society events is also provided in frequent E-Newsletters.
UK Individual Membership
£28.00
Annual UK membership for one person, including print publications by post, member newsletters, and access to Oscar Wilde Society events and activities.
Digital Membership
£28.00
Join the Oscar Wilde Society from anywhere in the world with digital delivery of our publications, member newsletters, and access to a welcoming community devoted to Oscar Wilde.
UK Household Membership
£36.00
Annual membership for two adults living at the same UK address, with one shared set of print publications, member updates, and access to Society events.
European Membership
£38.00
An annual membership for members in Europe, including printed Society publications by post, e-newsletters, and access to Oscar Wilde Society events and activities.
Rest of the World
£45.00
For members outside the UK and Europe, this annual membership includes postal delivery of our print publications, e-newsletters, and access to Society events and activities.
Learn and Celebrate
Our Events
16 October 2026 18:30–21:30 The Athenaeum
Oscar Wilde Birthday Dinner
The Oscar Wilde Society will host its annual birthday dinner on 16 October 2026 at The Athenaeum in London.
FEATURED BOOK
Articles from The Woman’s World, Edited by Oscar Wilde
Edited by Oscar Wilde, Woman’s World showcases a wide-ranging selection of articles on women in politics, education, literature, and the arts, many unseen since their original publication in the 1880s. Illustrated throughout and introduced by Eleanor Fitzsimons, this edition explores the magazine’s significance within Wilde’s career and its place in the history of women’s writing and rights.
Available as a digital edition.
Latest News
Society News
Merlin Holland: Busting the Myths of Oscar Wilde
24 October 2025
Merlin Holland, Wilde’s grandson, busts myths about his grandfather in this talk for The Oscar Wilde Society.
Society News
James Cahill on His Wildean Influences
25 September 2025
Dr. James Cahill presented a talk on The Artist as Critic: Wildean Resonances in Tiepolo Blue and The Violet Hour at the Oscar Wilde Society's annual Oxford luncheon…
Society News
Louis Bayard on ‘The Wildes’
7 September 2025
Author Louis Bayard speaks about his new novel The Wildes, which explores the aftermath of Oscar Wilde's imprisonment.