Google on 16th of October marked the 156th birth anniversary of Oscar Wilde by posting a doodle of Dorian Gray on its homepage.

Oscar Wilde, who was born on 16th of November in 1854, was an Irish writer, poet, and prominent aesthete. He emerged as one of the London’s most popular playwrights in early 1980s.

The doodle of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde’s well-known creation who sold his soul so his image in the attic aged rather than the man himself. Wilde is also known for his comedy play “The Importance of Being Earnest”, which is still on stage.

Wilde’s life was full of ups and downs. At one point of his life he sued the father of his lover. Following a series of trials, Wilde was convicted of gross indecency and was send behind the bars for two years. In the end, Wilde died penniless.

In some other parts of the world, the Internet search giant paid reverence to Egyptian poet and language intellectual, Ahmed Shawqi, who was also born on 16th of October, but eight years later.

Shawqi also had to face hardships in life. He was forced into exile in Southern Spain by the British forces.

It was not the first time that the Internet search giant created doodles to celebrate the birth anniversaries of Oscar Wilde and Ahmed Shawqi. Google’s home page can be seen frequently featuring special doodles marking special occasions.