The Happy Prince and other fairy tales

The tales of this English poet, playwright and novelist of Irish origin are not derived from folk sources, but are purely literary. They were created in the last third of the nineteenth century and show a strong Art Nouveau ornamentation and a leaning towards symbolism. A certain degree of decadence, of which the author was a literary representative, is also evident in them - it manifests itself in melancholy, the clash of the dream world with reality, and the theme of meaningful suffering in the name of love. Good does not always win in them, and evil is not always punished in its true form.

Wilde's tales, however, have enormous power of moral conviction about absolute human values. Oscar Wilde is said to have put his whole heart, storytelling skills and poetic talent into the stories he wrote for his sons.

The recording is intended for older children and adult listeners.