Summary
THE idea of writing a series of novels about Oscar Wilde came to Brandreth in Paris on 30 November 2000. A friend had booked the room at the Hotel des Beaux-Arts in which Wilde had died, exactly a century before, aged 46, and had invited Brandreth and his wife Michelle along for a short anniversary ceremony. Actor Donald Sinden, who had known Lord Alfred Douglas ("Bosie"), the man for whom Wilde had ruined himself, was in attendance, as was Bosie's last landlady. Brandreth takes up the story:
"There was this camp blond American clergyman called Beau - Oscar would have loved that - who presided over this little ceremony at 1.45 in the afternoon, around the bed in the room. The man who organised it all turned up dressed as Lady Bracknell. Oscar would have loved that too. This motley crew raised their glasses - Champagne, because absinthe is illegal - and as we toasted Oscar, this elderly voice of Bosie's last landlady whispered 'And Bosie!' And I thought, '100 years on, Oscar Wilde is still alive. I'm going to be bold and write these stories.'See the full content of this document
Extract
Wilde Party - On the Centenary of His Death
"Wilde's life is so rich, and I have planned out nine storylines. The one I'm writ...
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