Oscar Wilde

by G. L. Brierley (Illustrator), Merlin Holland (Editor)

A uniquely personal collection of Oscar Wilde's stories, introduced by his very own grandson. Each tale is filled with wonder and joy.

"Why, anyone can have common sense, provided that they have no imagination."
--From "The Remarkable Rocket"

"The Happy Prince." "The Selfish Giant." Anyone who has ever read these and other stories by Oscar Wilde will never forget the magical spell woven by his beautiful words. Now, Merlin Holland, the author's grandson and a distinguished writer and lecturer himself, presents 5 of Wilde's finest tales in their entirety. After an elegant and intimate discussion of Wilde's life, complete with family reminiscences, Holland introduces each tale with loving care. He helps young readers understand the stories' often profound themes and Wilde's very special use of language. In addition to "Prince" and "Giant", the compilation includes "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Devoted Friend", and "The Remarkable Rocket." They are the perfect tales for parents and children to share.

Merlin Holland , the only grandson of Oscar Wilde, is an author and journalist living in France. For the last twenty years he has been researching his grandfather's life and works and he now writes, lectures and broadcasts regularly on the subject. His publications The Wilde Album (Fourth Estate,1995) which has been translated into seven languages; The Wit of Oscar Wilde (Folio Society, 1997); The Centenary Edition of the Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (HarperCollins,1999); The Oscar Wilde Anthology (HarperCollins, 2000); and The Complete Letters of Oscar Wilde (Fourth Estate, 2000).

Award-winning Louise Brierley studied art at Manchester Polytechnic and the Royal College of Art. She has illustrated numerous books, including Beauty and the Beast & Other Stories (Viking, 1996) and Songs from Shakespeare (Walker Books, 1993) and her paints have shown in many gallery exhibitions.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Classics

79 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2005

Reviews

[Bt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read and seen some of Oscar Wilde's plays before but not his short stories. Interesting how these are all about the relationship between love and sacrifice, and what it means to die well. Most of the stories have an example of selfless love and then a sad or bittersweet ending. In all of the stories the extent of the love ends up killing the lover, but the lover gives his or her life graciously for the sake of the loved, or for the sake of love as a concept, or for the sake of a good end. Very interesting that we see this worldview throughout all the stories, and that they are aimed at children. Not the usual candy and fluff we see in many children's stories. Very interesting. Makes me think.

[Muno · Rating 4 out of 5]

When i started reading i couldn't stop, good book to just lay back a enjoy.

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stories for Young People was like reading fairy tales for young adults. The stories were engaging, and each had a moral. This is a good book to spark conversation about social issues and life choices. The stories have likable characters, and it was a fun read and a good break from my usual genres.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this book made me wonder if Oscar Wilde would have liked it. At the beginning of each of the short stories was a page or two of simpering review by someone named Louise Brierley. Let's just say that she liked Oscar Wilde a lot and felt that she was up to the task of praising him. I think she was not.
The stories were sadly written commentaries on social injustices. There were moments of creativity and well-written emotion, but they were not encouraging and barely interesting.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

clever fairy tales--simple to read for older kids, but deep to understand for grown-ups (might be abridged text--look for an original version to compare)