The Happy Prince, and Other Tales

A set of lyrical fairy tales reworks simple fable structures to probe compassion, selfishness, pride, and hypocrisy. One story pairs a gilded statue with a migratory swallow as they give away jewels to relieve urban misery, revealing social indifference; another contrasts an artistically devoted nightingale with a self-interested student over a red rose; a third traces a giant's moral change through children’s play; a fourth examines the exploitation of a generous helper by a supposed friend; and a final tale mocks vanity through an ostentatious but pointless firework. Each tale pairs elegant, ironic prose with moral observation that privileges selflessness over vanity.