Photos by Fritz Holden, Reed Hutchinson and Carolyn Campbell
On April 28, 2022 I had the pleasure of attending a lecture at UCLA’s William Andrews Clark Library given by Oscar Wilde’s grandson, Merlin Holland, titled “Confounding the Critics, Surviving the Scandal: The Remarkable Reputation of Oscar Wilde.” I had met Merlin years before my bestselling book, City of Immortals: Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, was published. I was thrilled this time to gift him with a copy.
Following the lecture, we had a delightful conversation. I then walked through the Clark Library to view several items on display from the unparalleled Wilde collection, including a copy of De Profundis, plus personal correspondence from Wilde to his first and last lovers, Robert Ross and Lord Alfred Douglas, respectively.