Oscar (Fingal O'Flahertie Wills). 1854–1900, Irish writer and wit, famous for such plays as Lady Windermere's Fan (1892) and The Importance of being Earnest (1895). The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) is a macabre novel about a hedonist and The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898) relates to his experiences in prison while serving a two-year sentence for homosexuality