Oscar Wilde

P. Craig Russell

A complete collection of the prize-winning and greatly acclaimed adaptations of Oscar Wilde’s works, this specially priced set brings each story to life with brilliant illustrations by a master of comic art. Each of the paperback volumes of Wilde’s compelling tales are assembled here with close to 200 pages of exquisite comics, including such classics as "The Selfish Giant” who won’t let the children play in his garden until the dire consequences make him see the light, "The Devoted Friend” on what constitutes real friendship, "The Nightingale and the Rose” a stirring story of sacrifice to love with a cruel twist, "The Birthday of the Infanta” where a hideous dwarf discovers that his good humor and tricks may not be the reason he receives such attention, and "The Happy Prince” where a once spoiled young prince finds what it means to make sacrifices. Perfect for middle school students as an introduction to the world-famous author, the dazzling illustrations in this book suit the finely crafted prose of Wilde.

Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde: The Complete Paperback Set 1-5

Arguably the most famous and beloved of Oscar Wilde’s nine fairy tales, this particular rendition stands apart from the others due to its brilliant illustrations by a master of comic art. After dying young, the Happy Prince’s soul inhabits a beautiful ruby-encrusted statue covered in gold leaf which is perched high above the city. But when he sees the poverty, misery and desperateness of his people, he enlists the help of a barn swallow to remove the gilding of his statue and shower the riches on his people. In the spring, the townspeople are saved, but find only a stripped down and dull statue alongside a dead swallow. The remains are tossed into an ash heap, but an emissary of God recognizes their sacrifice, and escorts them into the gardens of Heaven. Perfect for middle school students as an introduction to the world-famous author, the dazzling illustrations in this book suit the timeless writings of Wilde.

Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde: The Happy Prince

Juliana Matias

One of the good things to come out of the pandemic was the various ways artistic organizations came together to fundraise in a time where theaters were closed. I have lost count, for example, of how many performances of the Royal Opera House Ballet I’ve watched from the comfort of my own home.

I know it’s really an overall sad thing how un-secure (I somehow don’t think insecure was the appropriate word here, even though it probably was) artists and freelancers’ living is, but the way they came together to keep afloat during these trying times yielded results such as this audiobook produced in aid of the Royal Theatrical Fund, and I’ll be forever grateful.

I wouldn’t even have known Oscar Wilde had written fairytales if not for Audible, and having the pleasure of having them performed to be by the likes of Jeremy Irons and Dame Judi Dench was just a treat.

It turns out Wilde wrote 2 books of fairytales, which were both united in this 4 hour audiobook. It is comprised of the following tales:

The Nightingale and the Rose: in which a romantic bird is willing to go to extreme lengths to help a boy appease his love
The Devoted Friend: in which a rich Miller takes advantage of Little Hans in name of friendship
The Star-Child: in which a poor man finds a beautiful child in the woods and takes him in to unexpected results
The Fisherman and his Soul: in which a fisherman catches a mermaid but ends up ensnared himself and convinced to getting rid of his soul
The Birthday of the Infanta: in which we follow the 12th birthday party of the princess of Spain, in a especially offensive story
The Happy Prince: in which the statue of a prince sacrifices itself for its people with the help of a swallow
The Young King: in which a bastard prince raised in the forest is recognized as heir at the the King’s deathbed
The Remarkable Rocket: in which an extremely proud rocket thinks he’s better than all other fireworks
The Selfish Giant: in which a giant wants his garden to himself
Needless to say, not a single one of these fairytales has anything remotely close to a happy ending. They’re all stories which remind us that life is unfair and people have flaws and some of those flaws are especially egregious. But it still does not mean that the good guys will win the end, because they will not.

Actually, the best description I can think of for this beautifully written collection of fairytales comes from a very old quote from Veronica Mars: “Life sucks, and then you die.”

Now excuse me which I go and watch Moana again…

Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde: The Complete Paperback Set 1-5

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