The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888) is a collection of five fairy tales by Oscar Wilde. In the title story, the gilded statue of a prince and a swallow give away his jewels and gold leaf to the poor of the city.
The tales
The book contains The Happy Prince, The Nightingale and the Rose, The Selfish Giant, The Devoted Friend and The Remarkable Rocket.
In The Happy Prince, a swallow late to migrate stays to carry the prince's ruby, sapphire eyes and gold to the needy, and dies of cold at his feet.
Beauty and sacrifice
The tales combine the charm of fairy stories with satire of selfishness and vanity, and with the theme of love as sacrifice.
In The Selfish Giant, a giant who walls off his garden from children learns kindness and finds spring returning.
For children and adults
Wilde wrote the stories for his two young sons, Cyril and Vyvyan, but said they were meant for childlike people from eighteen to eighty.
The first edition, published by David Nutt, was illustrated by Walter Crane and George Percy Jacomb Hood.
Anecdotes
Tears for the giant
According to Vyvyan Holland, his father once had tears in his eyes while telling The Selfish Giant; asked why, he said that really beautiful things always made him cry.
A follow-up
Wilde published a second collection of tales, A House of Pomegranates, in 1891.
Frequently asked questions
How many tales are in the collection?
Five.
Who were the tales written for?
Wilde's sons Cyril and Vyvyan, though he said they were also for adults.
What happens in The Happy Prince?
A statue and a swallow give away his jewels and gold to the poor.