Muldoon pens poems for inscription in Oscar Wilde memorial in England

Two poems by Paul Muldoon, director of the University's Program in Creative Writing, will be permanently engraved in a memorial to Oscar Wilde in England. The poems will be unveiled next month to mark the centennial of Wilde's death.

The memorial, which consists of a set of gates and a walkway, is located between Reading Prison and Kennet River. A renowned 19th-century playwright, Wilde served the last part of a two-year sentence at Reading for the then-crime of performing homosexual acts.

Wilde's life was in shambles following his release from prison, Muldoon said. His writing career came to a halt, and he died destitute three years later.

"I was touched by anyone being in prison . . . it is kind of heartbreaking," Muldoon said.

Muldoon said that while thinking about a poem for the memorial, he was reminded of the story of an ex-prisoner in Ireland who was unable to open doors after his release. Muldoon based one of his two memorial poems, titled "The Gate," on the tale.

Muldoon's other poem, titled "The Bed," calls to mind the trials and suffering endured by prisoners.