A collection of stories, including two of Wilde's most famous: 'The Canterville Ghost', in which a young American girl helps to free the tormented spirit that haunts an old English castle and 'The Happy Prince', who was not as happy as he seemed. Often whimsical and sometimes sad, they all shine with poetry and magic.
Few authors are as closely associated with English wit as Oscar Wilde: the sharp-witted dandy, always ready with a cutting remark. His brilliant conversational skills made him famous even before he began his literary career. The stories in this volume showcase his drastic humour and scathing social critique. Among them, »The Model Millionaire« upends social hierarchies, and in »The Canterville Ghost,« ancient traditions meet modern times in the form of a vulgar and unsentimental American family, creating problems for a ghost that has had it too easy for centuries. OSCAR WILDE, born in 1854 in Dublin, died in 1900 in Paris, was an Irish prose writer, playwright, essayist, and poet. Wilde's significance as a symbol for persecuted homosexuals around the world is immeasurable. Wilde himself was sentenced to prison and hard labour, his works were boycotted, theatrical productions were shut down, and he was publicly vilified. The Picture of Dorian Gray [1890] is his most famous work.
»The Canterville Ghost« is a short story by Oscar Wilde, originally published in 1891. OSCAR WILDE, born in 1854 in Dublin, died in 1900 in Paris, was an Irish prose writer, playwright, essayist, and poet. Wilde's significance as a symbol for persecuted homosexuals around the world is immeasurable. Wilde himself was sentenced to prison and hard labour, his works were boycotted, theatrical productions were shut down, and he was publicly vilified. The Picture of Dorian Gray [1890] is his most famous work.
Complete texts of "The Happy Prince and Other Tales," "A House of Pomegranates," "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories," "Poems in Prose," and "The Portrait of Mr. W. H."
A modern fairy tale about the selfless acts of a golden statue and a migrating swallow. The swallow meets the statue of the late ‘Happy Prince’. The Happy Prince who was not so happy after all, The Selfish Giant who learned to love little children and The Canterville Ghost who has haunted the Canterville Chase, a London mansion for 300 years are all a part of the stories contained within the book.
Like old friends whose charm and warmth never fade, Oscar Wilde's short stories have enchanted generations of readers, and occupy a special place in the heart of each new reader. Like luminous gems, they have lost none of their power to enthral and inspire; and in this beautifully illustrated edition, Stephen Fry presents these gems to shine anew.