In 1895, everything changed.

In Part Two, we move from literary controversy to legal catastrophe. The publication of The Picture of Dorian Gray had already stirred moral panic — but now Wilde himself would be placed on trial.

We examine the libel case that backfired spectacularly, the criminal prosecution that followed, the infamous courtroom exchanges, two years of hard labour, and the writing that emerged from imprisonment — including De Profundis and The Ballad of Reading Gaol.

This is the destruction of a public figure.
The cruelty of Victorian morality.
And the resilience of a man who refused to apologise for being himself.

If Part One was about brilliance, Part Two is about consequence.

He dazzled Victorian society with wit sharper than a blade.

In Part One of this two-part series, we trace the extraordinary rise of Oscar Wilde — from Dublin prodigy to Oxford aesthete, from society darling to controversial novelist.

We explore his early life, his devotion to beauty and aestheticism, his marriage, journalism, essays, and the publication of The Picture of Dorian Gray, the novel that scandalised Britain and cemented his reputation as both genius and provocateur.

Before the trials.
Before the prison.
Before the disgrace.

This is the making of a legend — brilliant, flamboyant, and dangerously ahead of his time.

Part Two examines the scandal, the courtroom drama, imprisonment, and the tragic final years.

In this episode of The Author Files, we step into the turbulent, brilliant, and deeply tragic world of Mary Shelley — the young writer who reshaped literature forever with Frankenstein.

Born to radical thinkers and raised in the shadow of intellectual revolution, Mary’s life was marked by scandal, loss, love affairs, and relentless grief. At just eighteen, during a storm-soaked summer in Switzerland, she conceived the novel that would give birth to modern science fiction and redefine the Gothic imagination.

But who was Mary Shelley beyond her monster? And how did heartbreak, motherhood, philosophy, and the fear of unchecked ambition shape one of the most enduring stories ever written?

Join us as we explore the woman behind the myth — and the haunting legacy she left behind.

In this episode of The Author Files, we open the case file on Franz Kafka — a writer whose work captured the quiet terror of existing within systems that cannot be understood, challenged, or escaped. From The Metamorphosis to The Trial and The Castle, Kafka created worlds where punishment arrives without explanation, authority is faceless, and guilt is assumed long before it is earned.

But behind the word “Kafkaesque” was a deeply fragile, conflicted man. Born a German-speaking Ashkenazi Jew in Prague, Kafka lived a life shaped by illness, insomnia, cultural dislocation, a domineering father, and a relentless sense of personal failure. Writing was not a hobby or ambition — it was survival. A form of prayer. And yet, he never believed his work deserved to live beyond him.

This episode traces Kafka’s life in full: his family, education, working life, turbulent relationships, declining health, and the fiction that emerged from his inner torment. We explore his complicated relationship with identity, authority, sexuality, and faith, as well as the legacy he never lived to see — including the devastating fate of his sisters during the Holocaust.

Kafka died believing he had failed. History tells a very different story.

This is not just the life of a writer — it is the story of a man who articulated the fears many of us struggle to name, and whose work continues to speak for the anxious, the alienated, and the unseen

In this episode of The Author Files, we delve into the remarkable life and legacy of Dorothy L. Sayers, one of the most influential and intellectually formidable writers of the twentieth century. Best known as the creator of Lord Peter Wimsey, Sayers was far more than a “Golden Age” crime novelist — she was a scholar, playwright, theologian, translator, and cultural provocateur who consistently defied expectations.

Born in 1893, Dorothy L. Sayers was one of the first women to graduate from Oxford University, and she went on to reshape detective fiction with her sharp wit, complex moral questions, and deeply human characters. In this episode, we explore how Sayers elevated the crime novel from puzzle-solving entertainment to serious literature, weaving themes of guilt, justice, love, and intellectual integrity through works such as Whose Body?, Gaudy Night, and Strong Poison.

We examine her complicated personal life, including her unconventional relationships, hidden motherhood, and fierce belief in women’s independence at a time when society offered few allowances for it. The episode also looks beyond her detective fiction to her work in religious drama and her acclaimed translation of The Divine Comedy, revealing a writer driven by faith, intellect, and a refusal to be neatly categorised.

Was Dorothy L. Sayers a feminist icon, a literary traditionalist, or a contradiction of both? How did her views on work, creativity, and morality challenge the norms of her era — and why do her ideas still feel strikingly modern today?

This episode of The Author Files uncovers the woman behind Lord Peter Wimsey and asks why Dorothy L. Sayers deserves recognition not just as a crime writer, but as one of Britain’s most original and fearless literary minds.

In this episode of The Author Files, we take an in-depth look at the life, work, and legacy of Charles Dickens, one of the most influential authors in English literature and the defining novelist of the Victorian era.

Born into poverty in 1812, Dickens experienced hardship at a young age when his father was imprisoned for debt and Charles was forced to work in a factory. These early experiences left a permanent mark on him — shaping the themes of social injustice, childhood suffering, class division, and morality that would come to define his novels. From Oliver Twist and David Copperfield to Bleak House, Great Expectations, and A Christmas Carol, Dickens used storytelling as a weapon against cruelty, corruption, and inequality in 19th-century Britain.

We explore how Dickens rose from obscurity to become a literary celebrity, famous not only for his novels but also for his dramatic public readings and larger-than-life personality.

Was Charles Dickens a compassionate social reformer, a genius storyteller, or a deeply flawed man driven by his past? I

Whether you’re a student, a literature lover, or someone curious about the real people behind famous books, this episode of The Author Files offers a compelling deep dive into the life of Charles Dickens, his novels, and his enduring impact on literature and culture.

In this episode, we crack open one of the most deceptively sharp case files in literary history: the life of Jane Austen — the quiet revolutionary of the English novel, the master of irony, and one of the most incisive observers of human behaviour ever put to page. But behind the wit, the manners, and the marriage plots lies a woman who lived within strict limits while writing with extraordinary freedom, precision, and subversive intelligence.

We trace Austen’s journey from her close-knit family life in rural Hampshire to the creation of timeless works like Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion. Along the way, we explore the social world that shaped her — class, money, reputation, and the narrow options available to women — and how Austen transformed these constraints into the sharpest tools of her storytelling. You’ll hear how an observant, playful young woman honed her voice into one of ruthless clarity, capable of skewering hypocrisy, entitlement, and romantic illusion with a raised eyebrow rather than a raised voice.

Of course, no exploration of Austen is complete without confronting the myths and misconceptions that surround her. We unpack the image of Austen as a polite, prim spinster and examine the boldness beneath the bonnet — her biting humour, her rejection of sentimental nonsense, and the quiet defiance woven into her work. Was she conservative or radical? Romantic or realist? We look at what Austen believed about love, marriage, independence, and the cost of getting it wrong.

Along the way, we also uncover the lesser-known sides of Austen’s story — her early, riotously funny juvenilia, her struggles with anonymity, the financial precarity she endured, and the mystery surrounding her early death.

This episode blends biography, literary history, and emotional excavation to reveal the woman behind the elegance — a writer who reshaped the novel not with grand declarations, but with precision, restraint, and devastating insight. Her work continues to feel startlingly modern, two centuries later.

Whether you’re a lifelong Austen devotee or approaching her for the first time, this deep dive uncovers the intelligence, courage, and quiet rebellion behind one of literature’s most enduring voices.

This is The Author Files.
And this is the extraordinary life of Jane Austen.

In this episode, we crack open one of the darkest case files in literary history: the life of Edgar Allan Poe — the architect of modern horror, the master of the macabre, and one of the most misunderstood writers of the nineteenth century. But behind the ravens, the beating hearts, and the haunted narrators lies a man whose real life was steeped in loss, obsession, poverty, and mystery.

We trace Poe’s journey from a childhood shaped by abandonment and grief to the creation of revolutionary works like The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Along the way, we explore the relentless hardships, intellectual rivalries, and personal tragedies that fueled his imagination. You’ll hear how a brilliant but embattled mind helped invent the detective story, redefined psychological horror, and pushed poetry into unsettling new territory — often while living on the brink of financial and emotional collapse.

Of course, no exploration of Poe is complete without confronting the myths, scandals, and unanswered questions that surround him. We examine his reputation as a madman and drunk, the truth behind his troubled relationships, and the literary feuds that shaped his public image. And we step into the ultimate mystery: Poe’s final days — the strange circumstances of his death, the conflicting accounts, and the theories that refuse to die. Was he destroyed by addiction, illness, manipulation, or something far more sinister? We sift through the evidence.

Along the way, we also uncover the lesser-known sides of Poe’s story — his sharp literary criticism, his biting wit, his devotion to craft, and his desperate fight to be taken seriously in a world that often dismissed him.

This episode blends biography, literary history, and psychological excavation to reveal the man behind the madness — a writer who transformed personal anguish into lasting art and reshaped the landscape of world literature. His influence echoes through horror, crime, and speculative fiction to this day.

Whether you’re a devoted Poe reader or simply drawn to the shadows he left behind, this deep dive uncovers the truths, mysteries, and contradictions behind one of literature’s most haunting voices.

This is The Author Files.
And this is the extraordinary life of Edgar Allan Poe.