My favourite writer is Oscar Wilde. His reputation as a dramatist rests on his comic masterpiece «The Importance of Being Earnest». Within the social intrigues and artificial devices to resolve conflict, Wilde used his wit to create a form of comedy new to the English theatre. Oscar Wilde was the representative of the late 19-th century Aesthetic movement in England. It proclaimed art for art’s sake. Wilde was born in Ireland; he went to Trinity College in Dublin, and later continued his education at Oxford. During the years of study Wilde distinguished himself not only as a classical scholar, but also as a poet by winning the popular prize for his poem. In the early 1880s Wilde established himself in social and artistic circles. His most powerful novel is «The Picture of Dorian Gray.» In this novel Wilde shows the darkest corners of a man’s soul. The author’s message can be interpreted in the following way: a person who loves only himself will never be able to realise himself.