Oscar Wilde

A beautiful, golden, jewel-studded statue and a little swallow give all they have to help the poor.

from the fairy tale

The happy prince

Sarah Sammis

The version of The Happy Prince and Other Stories I read is a Penguin 60s and only has half the stories of the original collection: "The Happy Prince", "The Young King", "The Devoted Friend" and "The Model Millionaire." The longer collection also includes: "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Selfish Giant", "The Remarkable Rocket", "The Birthday of the Infanta", "The Star-Child" and "The Fisherman and His Soul." As I have not read these stories, my review won't include them except to say, I'm glad I read a short version because the four I read were pretty tedious reading.

I have read other Oscar Wilde works and have enjoyed them for their wit and humor but these stories that are something between a fairy tale and a parable were rather dull reads. The only I really enjoyed was "The Model Millionaire" which I'm sure was originally from a different short story collection. The Model Millionaire, while it contains a lesson like the other three, is still aimed at an adult audience and the moral comes in a true shaggy-dog story fashion.

The other three seem to be about the importance of self sacrifice and the futility of doing good works but they are told in such a heavy handed fashion that I wanted to toss the thin book across the room on a number of occasions. As the book is only 60 pages long, I decided to persevere and finish the damn thing before I tossed it.

The happy prince and other tales

Qonita

some stories are great, and some plot twists are frustrating, the good kind of frustrating. the ending of the star-child especially irks me. we can be hopeful for a not-so tragic ending, but Oscar Wilde won't let us sit idly with a happy ever after kind of fairy tale. not that i hate it, he only wrapped up everything with a healthy dosage of reality. anw, the long description bored me, in spite of being beautifully written, and it didn't touch me personally. it's still a nice read, 3-3.5 stars

heleen de boever

As a child, this tore me apart. Still does, really.

Hadeer Tarek 

“My courtiers called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot choose but weep.”

HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. 'Dear Prince, I must leave you, but I will never forget you, and next spring I will bring you back two beautiful jewels in place of those you have given away. The ruby shall be redder than a red rose, and the sapphire shall be as blue as the great sea.' In 'The Happy Prince' a statue - jewelled and opulent - keeps careful watch over the city and its inhabitants. Enlisting the help of a swallow, his selfless acts bring comfort to those most in need. 'The Nightingale and the Rose' is a tragic tale of personal sacrifice in the name of love, while in 'The Selfish Giant' the end of an eternal winter finally brings springtime and happiness. In this collection of enchanting tales from a master storyteller, Oscar Wilde has entranced readers both young and old since publication in the late nineteenth century.

The Happy Prince and Other Stories

Sophie

The richness of Oscar Wilde's way with words and ideas is given full range in this sparkling collection of short stories written between 1887 and 1891. From the comic tales of The Canterville Ghost and Lord Arthur Savile's Crime to the marvelous fairy stories and fantasies of The Selfish Giant, The Happy Prince and The Star Child, we are treated to the extravagance and dexterity of Wilde's exceptional wit, in stories that will appeal to both adults and children. Beautifully illustrated by Wilde's fellow decadent and aestheticist, the inimitable Aubrey Beardsley, this Macmillan Collector's Library edition of The Happy Prince & Other Stories also features an afterword by author David Stuart Davies.Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

Raye Parker

Short stories aren’t really my thing and I only read them because they by Oscar Wilde so it’s not surprising I didn’t really enjoy this book.

Amina Madadi (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ)

Short stories with morals, I love that!
As always, many thanks Hitessh for the great recommendation!

Includes "The Happy Prince," "The Selfish Giant," "The Devoted Friend," "The Remarkable Rocket," "The Nightingale and the Rose," "The Young King," "The Birthday of the Infanta," "The Star-Child," and "The Fisherman and His Soul."

Aya kamel

every story had a moral to give the reader .. every line keeps u amused , it discuss things like love and richness , generosity and ingratitude and a lot of scenes in a magnificent way ♡♡

mayra

I LOVE IT when Wilde quotes himself and I catch it !!!!! 
this was beautiful 🤧

reread: best pick me up short story there is

These special fairy tales, which Oscar Wilde made up for his own sons, include 'The Happy Prince', who was not as happy as he seemed; 'The Selfish Giant', who learned to love little children; 'The Star Child', who suffered bitter trials when he rejected his parents. . . . Often whimsical and sometimes sad, they all shine with poetry and magic.

Maria-Stefania Popa

“Any place you love is the world to you.”

Mayra Melo

This is a collection of five short stories, that are fairy-tale-like moral fables, not only for children, but drenched in subtle hints aimed at the older readers.

When questioned about the maturity of the language in his stories, Wilde ridiculed the idea that "extremely limited vocabulary at the disposal of the British child" should be "the standard by which the prose of an artist is to be judged".

These tales are dark and colorful at the same time, and deal mostly with selfishness, compassion, egotism, Christianity, goodwill and love.

Sam Pulliam

I really like Oscar Wilde and this collection of short stories is no different. Each story has to do with themes of privilege, selfishness, and the importance of helping others when you are in a position to. My favorite is either "The Devoted Friend" or "The Selfish Giant."

Анастасия Розова

*Read for class.

It was touching and sad, but nothing too great, in my opinion. Still, rather sweet and I didn't hate it. So that's good!

The Happy Prince and Other Tales (sometimes called The Happy Prince and Other Stories) is a collection of stories for children by Oscar Wilde first published in May 1888. It contains five stories, "The Happy Prince"

The happy prince from the fairy tale

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