The Happy Prince and Other Stories (Illustrated Edition)

The Happy Prince and Other Tales' is a collection of stories for children by Oscar Wilde, first published in 1888. Oscar Wilde is at his imaginative best in this wonderful collection of fairy tales. The five stories include 'The Happy Prince', 'The Selfish Giant', 'The Nightingale and the Rose', 'The Devoted Friend' and 'The Remarkable Rocket'. The stories have become popular classics and adapted in all kinds of audio-visual media. The stories about unhappy princes, mean giants, a sacrificing nightingale, a devoted friend and a self important fire cracker, have become material for bedtime tales. And at each story's heart lies a simple lesson in an important human value. Each of the stories shines with poetry and magic and will be enjoyed by children of every age.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin on 16 October 1854 to Sir William Wilde and his wife Jane. Oscar's mother, Lady Jane Francesca Wilde, was a successful poet and journalist. Oscar's father, Sir William Wilde, was a leading ear and eye surgeon, a renowned philanthropist and gifted writer, who wrote books on archaeology and folklore. Oscar had an elder brother, Willie, and a younger sister, Isola Francesca, who died at the early age of 10.

He was educated at Portora Royal School, Trinity College, Dublin, and Magdalen College, Oxford. While at Oxford, he became involved in the aesthetic movement and became an advocate for 'Art for Art's Sake'. Whilst at Magdalen, he won the 1878 Newdigate Prize for his poem Ravenna.

After he graduated, he moved to Chelsea in London (1879) to establish a literary career. In 1881, he published his first collection of poetryPoems that received mixed reviews by critics. He worked as an art reviewer (1881), lectured in the United States and Canada (1882), and lived in Paris (1883). He also lectured in Britain and Ireland (1883 - 1884).

On May 29, 1884, Oscar married Constance Lloyd (died 1898), daughter of wealthy Queen's Counsel Horace Lloyd. They had two sons, Cyril (1885) and Vyvyan (1886). To support his family, Oscar accepted a job as the editor of Woman's World magazine, where he worked from 1887-1889.

In 1888, he published 'The Happy Prince and Other Tales', fairy-stories written for his two sons. His first and only novel, 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', was published in 1891 and received quite a negative response. This had much to do with the novel's homoerotic overtones, which caused something of a sensation amongst Victorian critics. In 1891, Wilde began an affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, nicknamed 'Bosie', who became both the love of his life and his downfall. Wilde's marriage ended in 1893.

Wilde's greatest talent was for writing plays. His first successful play, Lady Windermere's Fan, opened in February 1892. He produced a string of extremely popular comedies including 'A Woman of No Importance' (1893), 'An Ideal Husband' (1895), and 'The Importance of Being Earnest' (1895). These plays were all highly acclaimed and firmly established Oscar as a playwright.

He spent the rest of his life wandering Europe, staying with friends and living in cheap hotels. He died of cerebral meningitis on November 30, 1900, penniless, in a cheap Paris hotel.

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