De Profundis by Oscar Wilde

Back in 2022, our guest was Stephen Fry, writer, actor and polymath, who joined John and Andy to discuss Oscar Wilde's De Profundis, the essay addressed to Lord Alfred Douglas in 1897 'from the depths' of Wilde's incarceration in Reading Gaol. It has been described by Colm Tóibín as 'one of the greatest love letters ever written'; it is also Wilde's most powerful testament of the sacred duty of the artist as he conceived it. We discuss the work's convoluted publication history, Wilde's posthumous reputation and his ongoing relevance in the 21st century.This feels like a good time to promote the brilliant series John has written on all the living species on this incredible planet. It is narrated by Stephen Fry and is available for free to Audible subscribers - just search 'Wonderful Life with Stephen Fry'. * To purchase any of the books mentioned in this episode please visit our bookshop at uk.bookshop.org/shop/backlisted where all profits help to sustain this podcast and UK independent bookshops. * For information about everything mentioned in this episode visit *If you'd like to support the show and join in with the book chat, listen without adverts, receive the show early and get extra bonus fortnightly episodes + original writing, become a patron at *You can sign up to our free monthly newsletter here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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De Profundis by Oscar Wilde is an episode from Backlisted by Backlisted Podcast.

This episode is 80:49 long.

This episode was published on Apr 27, 2026.

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