October 16 "Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." -- Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde October 16, 1854 - November 30, 1900 Born in Dublin, Ireland Died in Paris, France of cerebral meningitis at age 46 Oscar's room is the quintessential writer's garret: cramped and close, but economical and almost always booked. There is an egress to the roof, which one might call a deck; and a trundle under the single bed which (when pulled out) eliminates all other floor space in the room. However, I have observed happy couples (yes, TWO people) leave the room smiling after a multiple-day stay. Perhaps the considerable charm of the author is sufficient to overcome the confines of the chamber for the majority of guests. My Journal Entry: Happy Birthday, Oscar !! So many quips of your are my "favorites", but his has to be at the top. [See quote above.] I told my friends I was coming to the Sylvia Beach Hotel to sleep with Oscar Wilde to celebrate his birthday. I know you were persecuted for "playing with the other team" but I also knew the conversation would be scintillating ! I appreciate the quotes that have been framed and hung about the room, but I do wish the proprietors had also included your comment on your quarters at the Hotel d'Alsace, on Paris's Left Bank, where you spent your last months: "My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go." Finally, I hope you like the photo in the heavy black frame. It's my favorite portrait of you--so handsome, so charismatic. It's my birthday gift to your room. Oh, and one last thing. I just came across another quote of yours that has, at many times, and particularly now, seemed a benedictions on my peculiar journey: "One should always be a little improbable." Thank you for your gifts, Oscar. Love, Kelly |
