In these delightful tales, Oscar Wilde employs all his grace, artistry and wit. The Happy Prince tells of the statue of a once pleasure-loving Prince which, with the help of a selfless Swallow helps people in distress.
As well as The Nightingale and the Rose, The Devoted Friend and The Remarkable Rocket, this collection contains The Selfish Giant, a remarkable story of the redemptive power of love.
This book is part of a book series called Wordsworth Childrens Classics .
There are 80 pages in this book. This is a short story book. This book was published 1993 by Wordsworth Editions Ltd .
Oscar Wilde was born in Ireland in 1854 and is known for his poetry, plays and the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray . He died in Paris in 1900.
This book contains the following story:
The Happy Prince
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.
