The Happy Prince, and Other Tales

"Wilde's first authentic work...marked the beginning of his true creativity...Wilde's stories are splendid." -Jeanette Winterson

"...partly for children and partly for those who have kept the childlike faculties of wonder and joy."-Jack Zipes

Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince and Other Stories(1888) is an inscrutable, magical fairy tale collection that has filled readers of all ages with joy and wonder. Each story explores profound truths of love, morality, and suffering; yet there is a poignant beauty that shines through each of these remarkable and timeless tales.

The opening story, "The Happy Prince" is set in a town full of suffering, where a little sparrow who had been abandoned by his flock befriends a gilded statue of a prince who knew no sorrow in his life. The tenderness of their relationship and their empathy towards the ill-fortune of the townsfolk is one of the most touching evocations in all of children's literature; It is also a powerful allegory of inner beauty and the preoccupation with superficiality. The story has been adapted into animated films, radio plays, and a number of musical compositions since its publication.

Another cherished gem within this collection is "The Selfish Giant", one of the most beloved stories in the English literature that tells the tale of a narcissistic giant, his wondrous garden, and the child who transforms his heart. Also included are the stories "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Devoted Friend", and "The Remarkable Rocket".

With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Happy Prince and Other Stories is both modern and readable.

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish author, dramatist, and poet best known for his acerbic wit. His first published work, The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888) was a collection of allegorical fairy tales. Wilde's only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray was a scandal when published, with public outcries of indecency. His society comedies were his greatest successes during his lifetime, including Salomé (1893), A Woman of No Importance (1893), and his greatest dramatic work, The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Wilde's two year imprisonment was an experience documented in his final work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898).