The Paris Review, 2017: "Wilde's first play, ‘Vera; or the Nihilists,’ is rarely written about or staged...Taking on the Russian nihilist theme was a risky move for Wilde. His Irish background rendered Vera immediately suspect in the eyes of the British. Wilde was not only Irish, his family was known for their Irish republican sympathies. Wilde’s mother, Jane, known by her pen name Speranza, was a regular contributor to the Irish nationalist newspaper the Nation. She was closely associated with the Young Ireland cause

The Paris Review, 2017: "Wilde's first play, ‘Vera; or the Nihilists,’ is rarely written about or staged...Taking on the Russian nihilist theme was a risky move for Wilde. His Irish background rendered Vera immediately suspect in the eyes of the British. Wilde was not only Irish, his family was known for their Irish republican sympathies. Wilde’s mother, Jane, known by her pen name Speranza, was a regular contributor to the Irish nationalist newspaper the Nation. She was closely associated with the Young Ireland cause