Charles Robert Maturin (1782-1824) was an Irish playwright and novelist, born in Dublin. A contradictory figure, Maturin was both a friend of Lord Byron and a Protestant cleric. His play Bertram so scandalised London that he was punished by the Church. He was also the great-uncle of Oscar Wilde, who renamed himself Melmoth while in exile as a tribute to his forebear. Melmoth the Wanderer is Maturin's best-known novel.