Oscar Wilde''s jewel-like fairy tales tell of treasure, tragedy and transformation. These five fables are edged with darkness, but gleam with the trademark wisdom of one of Victorian literature''s greatest minds. In the unforgettable The Nightingale and the Rose, a young student yearns to be loved by his professor''s beautiful daughter, but his quest to capture her heart will come at a terrible cost. In The Happy Prince, a golden, decorated statue selflessly takes himself apart to gift his jewels to the poor people of the city he overlooks. The Devoted Friend powerfully criticises self-interest and questions what defines true friendship, and The Star-Child and The Model Millionaire reveal, fantastically, that appearances may not always reflect the truth. This series of pocket-sized paperbacks celebrates the art of the short story and marks Macmillan Collector''s Library''s 10th anniversary. Each contains a curated selection of short stories from a literary giant: Katherine Mansfield, Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allen Poe, Oscar Wilde, Jane Austen, James, Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Alice Dunbar Nelson, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Rabindranath Tagore.

Autorentext

Oscar Fingal O'Flaherty Wills Wilde was born in Dublin in 1854. He studied at Trinity College Dublin and then at Magdalen College Oxford where he started the cult of 'Aestheticism', which involves making an art of life. Following his marriage to Constance Lloyd in 1884, he published several books of stories ostensibly for children and one novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891).

Wilde's first success as a playwright was with Lady Windemere's Fan in 1892. He followed this up with A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest, all performed on the London stage between 1892 and 1895. However Wilde's homosexual relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas was exposed by the young man's father, the Marquis of Queensbury. Wilde brought a libel suit against Queensbury but lost and was sentenced to two year's imprisonment. He was released in 1897 and fled to France where he died a broken man in 1900.

Klappentext

Oscar Wilde's jewel-like fairy tales tell of treasure, tragedy and transformation. These five fables are edged with darkness, but gleam with the trademark wisdom of one of Victorian literature's greatest minds.

In the unforgettable 'The Nightingale and the Rose', a young student yearns to be loved by his professor's beautiful daughter, but his quest to capture her heart will come at a terrible cost. In 'The Happy Prince', a golden, decorated statue selflessly takes himself apart to gift his jewels to the poor people of the city he overlooks. 'The Devoted Friend' powerfully criticizes self-interest and questions what defines true friendship, and 'The Star-Child' and 'The Model Millionaire' reveal, fantastically, that appearances may not always reflect the truth.

This series of pocket-sized paperbacks celebrates the art of the short story and marks Macmillan Collector's Library's 10th anniversary. Each contains a curated selection of short stories from a literary giant: Katherine Mansfield, Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, Jane Austen, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Alice Dunbar Nelson, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Rabindranath Tagore.