Hotel where Oscar Wilde died
Oscar Wilde died in Hôtel d'Alsace (nowadays - L'Hotel), 13 Rue des Beaux Arts.
Nowadays, its a luxurious boutique hotel. Many who stay here don’t even know what stories these walls can tell… I came here on a cold December day during my 35th birthday celebrations, and as a big Wilde’s admirer, I was mesmerized.
In the lounge
Upon returning to Paris in the late summer of 1900, Wilde continued to indulge in heavy drinking, despite the generosity of his friends. He consistently found himself in financial tight spots but managed to sustain his extravagant lifestyle. His unhealthy habits not only took a toll on his well-being but also earned him a reputation as a freeloader.
In Paris, almost every buiding tells a story. Once prosperous and gorgeous city, was a true capital of art and culture and attracted the mosts talented people of the world.
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Jean Dupoirier, the owner of Hotel Alsace and a friend of Oscar, witnessed Wilde’s demise in his hotel room. According to Dupoirier, Wilde consumed a liter of brandy daily at the hotel, not including the additional alcohol he consumed elsewhere, such as absinthe or wine.
Wilde frequented a café almost daily, except when financial difficulties kept him at home. In August 1900, during a dinner with his friend Douglas in Paris, Wilde hinted at his declining health, expressing doubt about living to see the next century. He mentioned, “Somehow it seems to me that I shall not live to see another century. If another century begins and I am still alive, the English will not bear it”. Unfortunately, Douglas never saw Wilde again after that meeting.
At the time of his decline, Wilde was living on credit at the modest yet respectable Hotel d'Alsace on Rue des Beaux Arts, courtesy of the hotelier. This hotel was situated in a small street parallel to the Left Bank of the Seine, near Rue Bonaparte. It was in this hotel that Wilde succumbed to complications from otitis media.
He spent his last days in pain and struggle and died in November, the 30th, 1900.
