Oscar Wilde was the master of sarcasm, elegance and sentences so sharp they could cut a diamond. Born in 1854 in Ireland, he dominated the Victorian literary scene with plays and novels full of acid humour and criticism of society's hypocrisy.

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His ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ shocked moralists, and his comedies, such as ‘The Importance of Being Prudent’, made everyone laugh (even if they felt a bit attacked). But Wilde's life was as dramatic as his stories: after a scandal involving his sexuality, he was imprisoned and socially ruined. He died in 1900, in Paris, leaving a brilliant legacy - and the iconic phrase ‘Either this wallpaper comes off, or I do’, proving that even in death he didn't lose his irony.