| Title | : | The Happy Prince |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0525453679 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780525453673 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 32 |
| Publication | : | First published May 1, 1888 |
Now, a gilded statute set atop a high column, he can see all the wretchedness of the poor, the sick and the lonely who inhabit the great city where he stands.
A swallow, hurrying to reach the warmth of Egypt before winter sets in, stops to rest between the feet of the Happy Prince. He is moved by the prince's description of the helplessness and hopelessness he sees all around him, and agrees to stay with the prince and to assist him in bringing comfort to those in need.
This story of sacrifice and redemption is a parable for our time, as it was for that time more than a hundred years ago when Oscar Wilde first published this moving tale.
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was an Irish writer of great wit and talent who was born Oscar Fingall O'Flahertie Wills Wilde in 1854. He wrote a number of tales for children, but is perhaps best known for his
'Dorian Gray' (1890),
'Lady Windermere's Fan' (1892),
'The Importance of Being Earnest' (1895) and
'The Ballad of Reading Gaol' (1896). Wilde died in Paris in 1900.
The Happy Prince Reviews
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I've always liked Oscar Wilde's prose, if not his drama, but I thought this was an exercise in hypocrisy, or perhaps it was just Oscar Wilde, locked out of the gates of the wealthy aristocracy, just venting his spleen on them. You would think a man who lost everything because of the prejudice against his homosexuality might just not drop casual anti-semitism into what purports to be a children's story, wouldn't you? But perhaps he was so angry and bitter against Society that he could only see things from that viewpoint. That, like all underdogs, he was always looking for an even lower cur to kick.
As it turns out, despite being able to recite that old chestnut, "some of my best friends are Jewish", Wilde was deeply anti-semitic, a couple of quotes:
'It's unnecessary to debate with Jews. When you overrun them today, they come tomorrow with the same arguments. When you overrun those arguments, they come the day after with the same arguments as the day before.' [De Profundis].
This is just one from the many in the (wonderful) Picture of Dorian Grey,
'A hideous Jew, in the most amazing waistcoat I ever beheld in my life, was smoking a vile cigar. He had greasy ringlets, and an enormous diamond blazed in the center of a soiled shirt. Have a box, my Lord?' he said, when he saw me, and he took off his hat with an air of gorgeous servility. There was something about him that amused me. He was such a monster.'
At the same time he was being persecuted for his homosexuality and writing his Ballad of Reading Gaol detailing the terrible conditions and cruelty he suffered by imprisonment, he betrayed his best friend's plan for a small group of people to free Dreyfuss from his wrongful imprisonment and clear his name, and went further, befriending Dreyfus's persecutor, Esterhazy. (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreyfus_...). Wilde lost his best friend, Blacker, over this and seemed never to truly understand why.
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/articl...
The troll (is there another word for one who writes negative and rude personal comments about a reviewer?) seeks to justify his remarks by saying he is a Christian which really hasn't got anything to do with it, as apart from anything else, many anti-semites and their sympathisers have identified as Christians, but also by saying that it was part of the times.
There is some truth in that statement. Racism in all its forms seems to be part of every time. And it was part of that time especially in those who considered themselves wealthy aristocrats, but it wasn't a majority feeling. Disraeli, who was a Christian convert (his family had converted from Judaism to give their children a better chance in life, and he considered Christianity 'completed Judaism' and was not in any way in opposition to it) had been elected Prime Minister by a majority vote. Twice.
The Dreyfus Affair was a major topic in Britain and sympathisers with Esterhazy, Wilde included, were not on the winning side. Emile Zola's
The Dreyfus Affair: "J`accuse" and Other Writings was massively popular both in France and, in translation, the UK. Wilde was out there in a minority, characterising Jews as 'hideous', 'horrid' 'greasy' and 'vile', seeing Jews as a race (as do all anti-semites) rather than a religion, so that conversion would make no difference to him. So the casual anti-semitism of The Happy Prince is maybe just a little jibe, a little way perhaps of influencing the childen to whom the book was addressed to his own way of thinking.
Originally this review, a short one-paragraph review, had just one sentence directed at the casual anti-semitic remark made by Wilde, but in the light of the derogatory comments left on the review, I decided to expand it. However, knowing all of Wilde's history, my appreciation, or otherwise, of Wilde's work hasn't changed, I still love his prose, don't like his plays all that much, think his witty epithets among the best of quotes and one of them has always been a favourite of mine, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
It is a matter of being able to separate art from the artist's character. And mostly, I can do that.
Rewritten 22 Jan 2023 because of yet another troll -
Fábula que trata temas como el uso de la riqueza, el amor, la corrupción política, entre muchos otros. En pocas palabras, Wilde dice mucho. Me ha sobrado el abordaje final tan religioso, pero entiendo las circunstancias del momento.
Fable that deals with topics such as the use of wealth, love, political corruption, among many others. In short, Wilde says a lot. I have been overwhelmed by the final religious approach, but I understand the circumstances of the moment. -
There is no Mystery so great as Misery
Stories like this are the reason I still love Classic short stories. I loved the concept. But again, this story has a bitter-sweet ending. Like it's the rule of classic literature to not give happy endings. I understand, I really do, that they just show reality. But don't know why they just make me over-sad.The living always think that gold can make them happy.
OVERVIEW
There is a statue of a prince called 'Happy Prince' at the place where everyone can see it. It is decorated with precious things like gold, ruby and sapphires.
One day a Swallow, while going to Egypt because it's cold here, comes across the statue of Happy Prince and came to know it can talk. The statue tells him the story of its being Happy Prince that how he was a prince and how much pleasures he had and how he didn't know his people were in miserable state while he was enjoying behind the walls of palace and finally died.
The Prince commands the Swallow to help the people of his town by giving them precious decorations of his body. He do has he says because he is good by nature.
When the Prince gives away his sapphire rock eyes, the Swallow decides to live with him forever. And Swallow dies of cold even though he could go to Egypt. He didn't left his blind friend. :(●●●●●●
This is a great short story. I would recommend this. No matter how old you are, I think you can get something from this.
Sad Quotes"I am going to the House of Death. Death is the brother of Sleep, is he not?"
"As he is no longer beautiful he is no longer useful" (said the mayor when he the dull statue of Prince). (-__-)
Link to the story:
https://americanliterature.com/author...
September 24, 2017 -
Such a heartwarming story. Simple yet so powerful.
A tale of friendship and love.
It is a bit about dying but much more about being alive. -
“Surely Love is a wonderful thing. It is more precious than emeralds, and dearer than fine opals. Pearls and pomegranates cannot buy it, nor is it set forth in the marketplace. It may not be purchased of the merchants, for can it be weighed out in the balance for gold.”
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To Be or Not to Be Kind
A swallow embarks in a good deeds kind of mission, instead of proceeding with its own life, and... sooner then later ... it enters the House of Death!
If I didn’t know Oscar Wilde from his witty sarcastic plays, I would have thought that this beautiful sad tale was written to bring out the best in children.
However, since I know how ironic he can be, I have a strong feeling that he wrote what he wrote to show the little ones how short is the life of pure, kind beings on planet earth
Or... maybe just this once ... OW left his mordacious bias aside, to show the youngsters that when it comes to human life, quality is supposed to beat quantity:
It’s always better living a life you can be proud of, even if it means to be short 😉
A great story is the best tutor a kid can have! 😉👍 -
There is a sadness that permeates all of Oscar Wilde's work...but it is a sadness that helps us find joy with who we are. This story is one of my favorites; a beautiful tale for children.
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El precioso espejo de lo que representa la amistad, el altruismo y la verdadera felicidad.
La prosa de Wilde, es, sin duda alguna, una bocanada de aire fresco.
"My courtiers called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot chose but weep." -
This book is about the friendship between a swallow and a statue of a Happy Prince. The Happy Prince truly was just that- happy- in life because he lead a sheltered existence. "My courtiers called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness." This distinction foreshadows the story's intent to outline for us a deeper meaning in happiness. In life, the Prince was shielded from all misery. He passed, and was immortalized in the statue, which looked down upon the city.
We meet the swallow in springtime, when he falls in love with Reed. They share a summer courtship, a "ridiculous attachment," according to his fellow swallows. The flock leaves in autumn, and swallow's life is silent and lonely. He determines to change his life, and he decides to meet the flock in Egypt. He is enamoured by the fantasy of guilded tombs, jewels, and lotus flowers blooming on the Nile.
At this point our swallow meets the Happy Prince.
The Happy Prince teaches the swallow by his own example the distinction between pleasure and happiness. They come to understand life and love at God's right hand.
This story was beautiful, and I cried buckets. I find the seasons to represent the seasons of human life, and we are the swallow. The Happy Prince came to me as God's voice within each of us. We can chose the birds' eye view of our cities, acknowledging suffering and doing what we can to help, or we can be like the many unenlightened examples of the city - lacking in compassion. -
Metaphors abound in this Oscar Wilde fairytale. A swallow delays his migration to help the statue of the Happy Prince correct some wrongs that were overlooked when he was alive.
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Oh, it’s heartbreaking, and so very valid. The town where the statue of the Happy Prince is standing is full of inequality, poverty and misery. The Happy Prince and his new little friend, a swallow help some people but it leads to their own demise. Serious issues, sadness, tragedy, and also love are presented in this little sad tale.
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"As he is no longer beautiful he is no longer useful."
I need an alternative ending. -
I thought this was Oscar Wilde’s story, but this is retold by Elissa Grodin. I assume this is still his story. Oscar wrote this fairy tale for his students and kids. They loved it. He thought this would be a good story for all ages. I agree.
A sparrow finds a beautiful park with a statue of the Happy Prince. The mayor is proud of this beautiful statute. The prince never left the palace when he was alive and he never knew the sadness in the world around him. He is high in the air so he can see his city. He has a good heart so he has the sparrow give his jewels and gold plating away to people who need it.
It’s a story of giving to and seeing the poor and downtrodden. The prince gives away all his worth to help those around him. He is just a statue and he does talk with a bird.
The Mayor is like the greedy world. The prince looks like a messy metal statute, no longer beautiful and when the mayor finds him, he has him taken down, no longer proud of him and replaced. The ending was touching to me. I won’t give that away.
This was a touching story and it gave me all the feels.
Nephew was intrigued by this little bird and statute duo. It’s not really his kind of story, but he was captivated by the Prince. He gave this 3 stars. I think it encouraged him to think a little. -
5 No estoy llorando, solo es una basurita en mi ojo ESTRELLAS
No logre encontrar aquí en goodreads la edición de este cuento que leí. Lo cual es una pena porque tiene una portada hermosa.
Pero bueno, no hay nada que les pueda decir de este cuento que no hayan escuchada ya. Lindo lindo.Golondrina, Golondrinita
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A heart-warming tale about little Swallow who has been separated from his flock, which has flown down to Egypt, befriends a magnificent golden statue in an unnamed Northern European city, and bejewelled statue, and the statue asks the Swallow to take his jewels and use them to help the poor of the city.
Beautifully written some magnificent passages which describe Egypt through the eyes of the Swallow:
" All the next day he sat on the Prince's shoulder, and told him the stories of what he had seen in strange lands. He told him of the red ibises, who stand in long rows on the banks of the Nile, and catch goldfish in their beaks; of the Sphinx, who is as old as the world itself, and lives in the desert, and knows everything. ; Of the merchants who walk slowly by the side of their camels and carry amber beads in their hands; of the King of the Mountains of the Moon, who is as black as ebony, and worships a large crystal; of the great green snake that sleeps in the palm-tree and has twenty priests to feed it with honey-cakes ; and of the pygmies who sail over the a big lake on large flat leaves and are always at war with the butterflies."
The tale has a particularly poignant and beautiful ending. -
The most beautiful story I have ever read in my life. I cried reading it as a child and I still cry reading it as an adult. The Happy Prince, a short 'children's' story, tells the life of a prince who was made into a golden statue after he died. In life, he lived a sheltered happy/ignorant life, but in death he saw all the suffering throughout the city. The relationship between the prince and the sparrow is incredible - furthermore, the shallow greed and hypocrisy of the town officials and authorities at the end has an important message for the reader. The ending is breathtaking when the heart of the prince and the sparrow are considered to be more precious than anything else in the city.
Oscar Wilde knew exactly what he was talking about when it came to suffering and death. This is a story that has stayed with me throughout my life and it is the reason why Wilde will always be one of my favourite authors. Profound, moving, heart-breaking, yet undeniably beautiful, I cannot see how anyone could read this story and not come away deeply affected. -
Ben bunları bugüne kadar nasıl okumamışım, diye diye ah ettirdi bana. Masal anlatımında beş tane öykü var içerisinde. Hepsi de kıssadan hisse mantığı taşıyan ancak yazıldığı zaman dilimine ve toplum yapısına göre olağanüstü güçlü; şuan için de güncelliğini koruyan, yalnız küçükler için değil büyükler için de uygun, son derece özgün hikayeler bunlar. Hepsi üzerinde uzun uzun konuşabiliriz. Metaforları çözebilir, bulunduğumuz yerden karşılıklarını gösterebilir, çözümleyebiliriz. Bu tarz alegorik öyküler, gençken daha güçlü tesir ediyor. Gençken okumuşlara ne mutlu ama okumadıysanız da bir saatinizi ayırın, kütüphanenize ekleyin derim. İyi okumalar!
7.5/10 -
The Happy Prince led a privileged and sheltered life and knew only pleasure. In the city, his image as the Happy Prince was immortalized in the form of a bejeweled statue covered in fine gold leaves, set aloft on a tall column. But a transformation came over the Happy Prince when his new vantage point opened his sapphire eyes and leaden heart to the suffering of the poor in the city. The Happy Prince began to weep.
Oscar Wilde wove an uplifting story of friendship, loyalty, compassion and sacrifice. The Happy Prince met a lovelorn Swallow that sought a resting place in the golden bedroom at the prince’s feet. Winter was fast approaching and he was on his way to Egypt. But he heeded the Prince's plea, "Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow... will you not stay with me one night longer?" What unfolded was a poignantly moving story about their tender friendship and mutual sacrifice. Their magnanimity was juxtaposed against the vanity of the town councillors and the frivolity of the rich.
This is the third story by Oscar Wilde I have read in just over a week. Whether it was the Canterville Ghost or the Selfish Giant or the Happy Prince, each had a second chance at making amends and finding love and acceptance. Thank you, Oscar Wilde, for these memorable characters. They hold a special place in my heart. -
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مجموعة قصصية مكونة من خمس قصص كتبها أوسكار وايلد
الأديب الإنجليزي وهي :
١- قصة الأمير السعيد ( التي عرض بها وايلد فكرة التضحية
ومساعدة الآخرين .)
٢- قصة المارد الأناني :( الذي يُبقي حديقته الغناء مقفلة أمام
الأطفال فينتهي بها الحال ذاوية مقفرة ) .
٣-قصة العندليبة والوردة : ( هذه أذكر أني شاهدتها في عمل
للأطفال ... وهنا يعرض أوسكار فكرة المبالغة في التضحية
خاصة إن كان الطرف المقابل لا يستحقها . )
٤- قصة الصديق المخلص ( وأظن أن وصف الصديق بالإخلاص
هنا إن كان ينطبق فعلاً على هانس الصغير إلا أنها حتماً لا
تنطبق على دناءة الطحان .)
٥- الملك الشاب ( الذي رغم امتلاكه لكل الملذات إلا أنه لم
يجد للوحدة شبيه ) .
ماذا بعد القراءة ؟
الإحساس بالخيبة بعد اكتشاف زيف الأصدقاء على الرغم من كونه إحساس مقيت إلا أنه لا يمتلك القدرة على كبح عطاء
الروح المعطاءة أبداً .
.
.
#تمت
#أبجدية_فرح 4/5 🌸📚
#مجموعة_قصصية
#الأمير_السعيد_وقصص_أخرى للكاتب #أوسكار_وايلد
صادر عن #دار_الرافدين ~ 🌸📚
#candleflame23bookreviews 🌸
#غرد_بإقتباس
#حي_على_القراءة
#ماذا_تقرأ #ماذا_تقتبس #القراءة_حياة
#القراءة #القراءة_حياة_أخرى_نعيشها
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Written for children, between 1882-1891, these beautiful
stories of delicate charm are for literate adults who alone
can perceive the irony and awareness of life's cruelties.
A poetic wistfulness also mingles with the artless musical
imagery. One critic says they remind him of Fragonard and Rossetti. Another is impressed by the simplicity of Biblical language.
Reviewing the fables a rather hysterical GR slams OW for
anti-semitism because of a perfunctory aside 100 years before
Political Correctness. Scholar Anthony Julius dissects this serious subject in his mammoth, "Trials of the Diaspora." His detailed study discusses anti-semitism in Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens, Thackeray, Trollope, G Eliot, Js Joyce, GraGreene, Virginia Woolf - and countless others. I do not endorse wrongheaded emotionalism (as it oft prevails on GR). OW ? He doesnt get a mention. -
Wow, what a fairytale.
I really liked it. It was longer than some of the other fairytales I have been reading and I think it gave it more time to pack more messages in there, to show more examples and really develop.
In the beginning I was confused about the point of the story. But it added to the Bird's character development - seeing what he used to be like and how the Happy Prince changed him. It went to show the power of friendship and the good influence that a good friend can have.
I also really liked that The Happy Prince had some of his own development too. It sounded like he was quite ignorant all through his life, and that by the end of the fairytale he learns there is a lot more to life than wealth, good looks and such.
I liked how kindness and kind deeds were the highlight. I know it mentioned some sense of sacrifice being committed for the kindness happen. I don't think it needed to so such *intense* suffering at the end for kindness to be done, but it did add to the religious tone of the tale and I guess fairytales are only as dramatic as... well... fairytales.
It said some important things about greed in a simple and straightforward way. Can't wait to read more his fairytales. -
Trust Oscar Wild to convey a powerful message in a few short pages. This work is a good example for his amazing skill.
This short story exposes a few themes: poverty, the negligence of the authorities to facilitate the poor, the convenient ignorance of the rich. The story is simple but the underneath irony cannot be missed. If you look deep, you can see how with simple words Wild brings out an ugly and dark side of a hypocritical society.
Reading Oscar Wild is always a pleasure and here, there is no exception either. -
Life is Short for Saints
A beautiful sad tale enclosing a simple message:
The ones who sacrifice their own benefit for the sake of others are doomed to a very short life on Earth.
Like in the story, I do hope there’s a Heaven where their goodness shall be rewarded.
Gosh!... Did I fool anyone else but me?!... 😉 -
Perfecto es todo lo que escribió este hombre!
Maravillosa historia!! -
قررت قبل نحو ثلاثة أعوام بأن الوقت قد حان لأقرأ لهذا الكاتب الواسع الشهرة
ولكن... بمجرد أن قرأت سيرة حياته التي سردها الناشر في طبعة قديمة لرسائله حدثت بيني وبينه قطيعة كبيرة!!
حكمت عليه بالنسيان وقاطعت جميع مؤلفاته.
لم أستطع تجاهله طويلاً.. فثلاثة أعوام ليست محل جدال في المواقيت الفلكية.
مكانته الأدبية واحتفاء دور النشر بطبعات كتبه المتجددة وحضور اقتباساته على صفحات التواصل الاجتماعي جميعها دفعتني لأبادر بالمصالحة وأغض الطرف عما قرأت وعرفت
وها قد التقيت بأميره السعيد-الحزين
وعندليبته الأسطورية
لا أجمل من أن تعود طفلاً تلهو في حديقة المارد الخلابة وتصحب هانس المخلص في قصته مع الطحان الأناني
لقد كتب دوستويفسكي في يومياته بأن الأطفال يغفرون لوالديهم وللكبار عموماً عندما يدركون بأن الدافع المستتر وراء تصرفاتهم وقسوتهم هو الحب
ولأن وايلد كتب هذه القصص بحب وصدق فقد غفرت له ونسيت الجفاء. -
أعز وأجمل وأروع قصة قرأتها فى حياتى
السؤال العجيب ليه يا عم الحاج ؟
لانها أول رواية أقرأها فى حياتى - حفظ الله أبى أتانى بها وأنا فى الحضانة تقريبا عام 84 وقعد أقرأ فيها يومين ياااااااااااااااااااه أجمل ذكرى
طبعا مش هي ده الصورة إللى كانت على الرواية المعربة التى قرأتها بس أهو حاجة من ريحتها الحلوه
حفظك الله يا أبى شفاك وعافاك لقد وجهك الله تعالى لتمنحنى مفتاح السعادة الدنيوية
القراءة -
Vida de Santo é Curta
Cristo morreu por nós na cruz e a andorinha morreu por nós na estátua. Ao que parece, a vida de Santo é curta.
Para quem não acredita no paraíso como compensação, a mensagem a reter será talvez: dar, sim... mas com moderação😉 -
Mi cuento favorito, hermoso, conmovedor.
Las palabras del príncipe feliz, la fidelidad de la golondrina, el altruismo, la desgracia de los pobres, el egoísmo del los más afortunados y la estupidez de sus autoridades, son plasmadas impecablemente.
Amo este cuento, y creo que siempre lo haré. -
Very cute little story
