Lisa Guillen

Kisses for Wilde

Open any Paris tourism guide or travel book and you will, without a doubt, see Pere Lachaise Cemetery listed as a place to check out. The cemetery’s cobblestoned narrow streets and endless twists and turns create a sense of adventure the moment you step foot on the grounds. Over 70,000 people have been laid to rest at Pere Lachaise and masterful headstones, statues and letters scrolled in stone are seen upon every turn.

However, what really makes this location popular is its history. The cemetery, which opened in 1804, has created a name for itself by being the resting place of many famous names over the past century, including Gertrude Stein, Frederic Chopin, Jim Morrison and of course Oscar Wilde.

Oscar Wilde was a well-known Irish writer and poet in the late 1800’s famous for his short fiction and plays. His charming criticism and quick wit enabled his work to live on years later. However, Wilde’s fame goes beyond his work as a writer. In 1895 Wilde was jailed for “gross indecency” stemming from ‘odd relations’ with Lord Alfred Douglas and other young men, for this many in the gay community see Wilde as a martyr and celebrate his life and art to this day. After Wilde was released from prison he lived his remaining years in Paris, France where he still lives on today.

Wilde stood out in life for being outspoken and flamboyant but the thing that makes him stand out at Pere Lachaise however is the unusual markings his fans choose to leave on his grave, from the famous lipstick kisses to the spray painted graffiti, Wilde’s grave looks like no one else’s.


Another famous face in the cemetery, the grave of Jim Morrison, singer of The Doors, has had it’s own form of fan adoration but yet it pales in comparison to that of Wilde’s.


Miguel Leif, a guard at Pere Lachaise said at one time there was a tall gate surrounding Wilde’s gravesite but it was taken down after it proved to be of little help. “Many people would just knock it down or climb over it,” he said.

Although striking to look at, the markings are very bothersome to those who want to preserve the grave in its original form. In an article in The Times, a UK newspaper, Merlin Holland, the grandson of Oscar Wilde explains that the lipstick stains contain greasy fat, which makes them very hard to remove. In addition many people have began chipping away at the stone in order to get their own piece of Wilde’s legacy. “We cannot watch these people at all times,” said Leif. Despite the concerns fans come day in and day out with their bright red lipstick and sharpie markers to kiss their hero and leave their mark.

For those in Chicago a little jealous of the fans who get to visit Wilde at Pere Lachaise and who are not able to take the trip to Paris, no worries! There is a little bit of his wit and humor on the north side in the form of an Irish pub and restaurant. “Wilde” located at 3130 N. Broadway, of course, takes its name from Oscar Wilde. The restaurant is complete with famous quotes by the writer himself decorating the walls and ‘library’ in the bar area, which consists of a small wall with shelves containing a variety of books that patrons can check out.