10 July 1994
I am new to the Forum and the first question I have to begin with concerns
Twain and Oscar Wilde. Through the course of my readings I have found a few
references that allude to Wilde and Twain possibly having met at some point
in their lives. In Vyvyan Holland's book Son of Oscar Wilde, he mentions
that
Twain called on the Wilde's at their Tite Street home. I have worked at
the Mark Twain Memorial in Hartford and could never find any reference to
such a meeting. Furthermore, according to the dates that Twain
traveled to England they completely eliminate any chance for Twain to have
gone to Tite Street. Oscar did not move into Tite Street until 1884 and
was convicted and sent to prison in 1895. Twain was in England in 1879
but not again until 1896. When in America Wilde did meetin Harriet
Beecher Stowe, another Nook Farm resident, but again no reference to Twain
and Wilde meeting. Does ANYONE have any clues to these two having known
each other or Twain having ever commented on Wilde or his works??
Mark Zurolo