Oscar Wilde (born October 16, 1854) was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet and critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest playwrights of the Victorian Era; producing a string of extremely popular comedies including A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895), and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). His only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) was received with a negative response but has, posthumously, gone on to become a beloved piece of literature.