Category: Influence and Homage

It’s hard to imagine a meeting between two celebrities like Whitman and Wilde. However, history is full of surprises. During his stay in America, the youthful Wilde met with the aging poet Whitman. This meeting between Whitman and Wilde made a lasting impression on Wilde and how he handled his celebrity status. David M. Friedman’s New Republic article “When Walt Whitman Met Oscar Wilde” examines the Whitman-Wilde meeting in 1882 and Wilde’s status before and after his time in America.