Vyvyan Holland
Encyclopedia
Vyvyan Holland, OBE
(3 November 1886 – 10 October 1967), born Vyvyan Oscar Beresford Wilde in London
, was a British
author
and translator. He was the second son of Oscar Wilde
and Constance Lloyd
, after his brother Cyril
.
After Wilde was convicted of the charge of "gross indecency" and imprisoned, Constance changed her surname, and those of their sons, to Holland. She took the boys to Switzerland
and then enrolled them in an English speaking school in Germany
. Vyvyan was unhappy there. Because of this and to improve security, Vyvyan was moved to a Jesuit school in Monaco
. He converted to Catholicism
and subsequently attended Stonyhurst College
, also run by the Jesuits. However, his brother Cyril remained at the school in Germany. After Constance’s death in 1898, her relatives sought legal counsel to prevent Oscar Wilde from seeing his children again.
Due to antipathy toward his father, Vyvyan Holland was denied admission to the University of Oxford
, and instead studied Law
at Trinity Hall
at the University of Cambridge
from 1905, but tiring of his studies he left the college in 1907. On 20 July 1909, Holland accompanied his father's old friend, Robert Ross
, to witness the reburial of his father's remains from Bagneux Cemetery to Père Lachaise Cemetery
in Paris
.
Aged 22, Holland resumed his study of Law and was called to the Bar of England & Wales by the Inner Temple
in 1912. He began to write poetry and short stories.
Holland's first wife was Violet Craigie, whom he married in 1913. At the start of World War I
in 1914 he was first commissioned a Second Lieutenant
in the Interpreters Corps, but later transferred into 114 Battery, XXV Bde Royal Field Artillery
. Holland was demobilised on 27 July 1919, and was awarded an OBE
. His brother Cyril had been killed by a German sniper on 9 May 1915 during the Battle of Festubert
.
He went on to become an author and translator. At the beginning of the Second World War, Holland was offered a position as a translator and editor for the BBC
, a post he held for six years. In September 1943, he married his second wife, Dorothy Thelma Helen Besant.
In 1947, Holland and Thelma Holland left for Australia and New Zealand, where Mrs. Holland had been invited to give lectures on fashionable dress in 19th-century Australia. The couple lived in Melbourne
from 1948 to 1952.
Their only child, Merlin Holland
, became a publisher, a dealer in glass and ceramics, and a writer who edited and published several works about his grandfather.
Holland died in London in 1967 aged 80.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(3 November 1886 – 10 October 1967), born Vyvyan Oscar Beresford Wilde in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and translator. He was the second son of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
and Constance Lloyd
Constance Lloyd
Constance Wilde , born Constance Mary Lloyd, was the wife of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde and the mother of his two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan. The daughter of Horace Lloyd, an Irish barrister, and Adelaide Atkinson Lloyd, she married Wilde on May 29, 1884, and had both her sons within the next two years...
, after his brother Cyril
Cyril Holland
Cyril Holland was the first son of Oscar Wilde and Constance Lloyd and brother to Vyvyan Holland....
.
Biography
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and then enrolled them in an English speaking school in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Vyvyan was unhappy there. Because of this and to improve security, Vyvyan was moved to a Jesuit school in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
. He converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and subsequently attended Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College is a Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition. It is located on the Stonyhurst Estate near the village of Hurst Green in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, England, and occupies a Grade I listed building...
, also run by the Jesuits. However, his brother Cyril remained at the school in Germany. After Constance’s death in 1898, her relatives sought legal counsel to prevent Oscar Wilde from seeing his children again.
Due to antipathy toward his father, Vyvyan Holland was denied admission to the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and instead studied Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at Trinity Hall
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
from 1905, but tiring of his studies he left the college in 1907. On 20 July 1909, Holland accompanied his father's old friend, Robert Ross
Robert Baldwin Ross
Robert Baldwin "Robbie" Ross was a Canadian journalist and art critic. He is best known as the executor of the estate of Oscar Wilde, to whom he had been a lifelong friend. He was also responsible for bringing together several great literary figures, such as Siegfried Sassoon, and acting as their...
, to witness the reburial of his father's remains from Bagneux Cemetery to Père Lachaise Cemetery
Père Lachaise Cemetery
Père Lachaise Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the city of Paris, France , though there are larger cemeteries in the city's suburbs.Père Lachaise is in the 20th arrondissement, and is reputed to be the world's most-visited cemetery, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Aged 22, Holland resumed his study of Law and was called to the Bar of England & Wales by the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1912. He began to write poetry and short stories.
Holland's first wife was Violet Craigie, whom he married in 1913. At the start of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1914 he was first commissioned a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Interpreters Corps, but later transferred into 114 Battery, XXV Bde Royal Field Artillery
Royal Field Artillery
The Royal Field Artillery of the British Army provided artillery support for the British Army. It came into being when the Royal Artillery was divided on 1 July 1899, it was reamalgamated back into the Royal Artillery in 1924....
. Holland was demobilised on 27 July 1919, and was awarded an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. His brother Cyril had been killed by a German sniper on 9 May 1915 during the Battle of Festubert
Battle of Festubert
The Battle of Festubert was an attack by the British army in the Artois region of France on the western front during World War I. It began on May 15, 1915 and continued until May 25.-Context:...
.
He went on to become an author and translator. At the beginning of the Second World War, Holland was offered a position as a translator and editor for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, a post he held for six years. In September 1943, he married his second wife, Dorothy Thelma Helen Besant.
In 1947, Holland and Thelma Holland left for Australia and New Zealand, where Mrs. Holland had been invited to give lectures on fashionable dress in 19th-century Australia. The couple lived in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
from 1948 to 1952.
Their only child, Merlin Holland
Merlin Holland
Christopher Merlin Vyvyan Holland is a biographer and editor. He is the son of the author Vyvyan Holland and his second wife, the former Thelma Besant, and is the only grandchild of Oscar Wilde...
, became a publisher, a dealer in glass and ceramics, and a writer who edited and published several works about his grandfather.
Holland died in London in 1967 aged 80.