The Happy Prince and other tales

This collection gathers five of Oscar Wilde's fairy tales, written for children but layered with adult irony and pathos. In the title story, the gilded statue of a once-carefree prince persuades a swallow, delaying its migration south, to strip away its jewels and gold leaf piece by piece to relieve the suffering of the poor — a sacrifice that costs them both everything. "The Nightingale and the Rose" follows a bird who gives her life to create a single red rose for a student's unrequited love, only for the gift to be discarded as worthless.

The remaining stories — "The Selfish Giant," "The Devoted Friend," and "The Remarkable Rocket" — continue Wilde's blend of fable and social satire, examining generosity, vanity, and cruelty through gentle, melancholy storytelling.

First published in 1888, The Happy Prince and Other Tales established Wilde as a writer of children's literature alongside his work for adults, and its stories remain widely anthologized for their combination of simplicity and quiet sorrow.