The Happy Prince
The Nightingale and the Rose
A giant who only knows himself
loyal friend
Great Rocket Firecracker
Oscar Wilde Chronology

A representative aesthete of 19th century British literature
Oscar Wilde, the writer who criticized the absurdity of real society

Depicted with Oscar Wilde's satirical perspective and beautiful, elegant sentences
The Happy Prince and four short stories
Let's meet the original first edition cover design from 1913!

Oscar Wilde loved telling stories to his two beloved children, Cyril and Vivienne.
He loved making up stories for children, so much so that he once told a friend, “Every father should write at least one fairy tale for his children.”
In 1888, Oscar Wilde published a collection of original fairy tales called “The Happy Prince and Other Tales.”
This collection of fairy tales includes five stories in total, including the timeless classic The Happy Prince, The Nightingale and the Rose, The Self-Aware Giant, The Faithful Friend, and The Great Rocket.

The Happy Prince is a story about a prince who enjoyed everything while alive, but only becomes aware of the suffering of people after becoming a statue.
The Nightingale and the Rose is a story about a nightingale who trades her life for a rose to help a young man find love.
"The Self-Careful Giant" is the story of a self-centered giant who gives his garden to children and falls in love with a boy.
"The Loyal Friend" is the story of a man named Hans who gives everything to his selfish friend Miller, which leads to a tragic ending.
"The Great Rocket Cracker" is the story of a rocket cracker who thinks of everything as self-centered and ends up suffering bitter pain.

Although these stories are all fairy tales, they are not just for children.
Oscar Wilde hoped that the fairy tales he wrote would be read not only by children, but also by adults who understand the world of children and have a childlike heart.
Because adults can also think about and realize many things while reading these stories.
The four short story collections, including "The Happy Prince," criticize various social problems in British society at the time.
The moral corruption and falsehood of the British aristocracy and the horrors of the slums are depicted with Oscar Wilde's satirical perspective and beautiful, elegant writing style.

These stories also ask the question of what true art is.
Oscar Wilde said that a true artist must transform an ugly society into something beautiful.
I believe that only art is the most precious thing in the world and can save the world.
It is for this very reason that Oscar Wilde is called a representative 'aesthetic' or 'art supremacist' of 19th-century British literature.

The timeless classic The Happy Prince and its four short story collections still pose relevant questions to people today.
The social problems of the 19th century, such as the gap between rich and poor and the absurdity and injustice of the privileged class, still persist in the 21st century, and questions about the true value of art and love also persist.
Let's take a look at Oscar Wilde's collection of works, which has given people a variety of food for thought across generations, through the original 1913 first edition cover design of The Story.