The Museum of Literature of Ireland (MoLI) is displaying a brand new film exhibition of Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis. The installation will present key passages of the text through the voices of LGBTQ+ writers, artists and activists, offering a new perspective on the artist’s work.

De Profundis is famously known for being a love letter written by Oscar Wilde during his imprisonment in Reading Gaol, being the only work the Irish writer completed during his two-year imprisonment. 

The text was addressed to his friend and lover Lord Alfred Douglas – or Bosie. In its first half, Wilde narrates their relationship, which resulted in his incarceration for “gross indecency”. In the second half, he goes deeper into his spiritual development.

Wilde was a family man, he was married to a wife and had two children. He was also known to be a very loving and caring father. But when he was introduced to Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas, Wilde’s desires and attention were inevitably drawn to him. The poet fell deeply in love with ‘Bosie’, which cost him his family, his fame, his livelihood, and even a stint in prison.

While the author was known for his wit and humour, the exhibition Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis offers a raw and honest version of the playwright and showcases many of his other hidden personalities. LGBTQ+ community members will join their voices to represent Wilde as the artist he was, but also as the thinker, as the philosopher, and even as the profound and tender lover who captured his feelings in a richly layered love letter. 

Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis exhibition will run from March 7 until October 1 at the Museum of Literature Ireland,  located at 86 St. Stephens Green in the historic UCD Newman House. You can already purchase the tickets here so you don’t miss out on this promising and captivating installation that celebrates one of the most prominent Irish poets and playwrights of all time.