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Five fairy tales: the gilded statue of the Happy Prince, who asks a swallow to strip away his gold and jewels for the poor of his city; the nightingale who…
Five fairy tales: the gilded statue of the Happy Prince, who asks a swallow to strip away his gold and jewels for the poor of his city; the nightingale who gives her life to make a red rose for a student; the Selfish Giant whose garden stays in winter until he lets the children in; and two sharp comic tales, 'The Devoted Friend' and 'The Remarkable Rocket'.
Context and significance
Published in 1888, when Wilde's two sons were small, these stories are as beautiful read aloud to children as they are sad to adults. They belong on the same shelf as Andersen's tales, and they show a tender side of the writer best known for his epigrams.
About the author
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was born in Dublin, studied classics at Trinity College and Oxford, and became the most quotable man in London, the leading voice of the movement that preached art for art's sake. Between 1892 and 1895 his comedies filled the theatres, and his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, caused a sensation.
At the height of his fame he was convicted for his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas and sentenced to two years of hard labour, an experience he wrote about in De Profundis. He died in exile in Paris, poor and broken, at forty-six. The Importance of Being Earnest remains one of the funniest plays in English.