Oscar Wilde’s life turned into puzzle by Loughborough academic

the cover of an Oscar Wilde jigsaw

Oscar Wilde is one of the most famous and often-quoted writers of the Victorian era. His life and literary works have been transformed into plays, films and television shows – but now they have been turned into a jigsaw puzzle.

Sarah Parker, Senior Lecturer in English, acted as the consultant for The World of Oscar Wilde, a 1000-piece puzzle that features over 60 characters and individuals from Wilde’s life. As well as advising on who (and what) should appear on the puzzle, Sarah also wrote the text on the pull-out poster that accompanies the puzzle, telling the story of Wilde’s biography and his most famous plays, stories and novels such as The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Sarah says: ‘Helping create this puzzle was a brilliant way to apply my knowledge of Oscar Wilde, whose works I frequently teach. It was also great fun to suggest the people that should feature on it – and even how they should appear. I’m really pleased with the resulting puzzle – though I haven’t completed it yet!’

The puzzle is published by Laurence King on 10 October 2024 and is available on their website and Amazon.