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.