The Happy Prince, and Other Tales

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish author, dramatist, and poet best known for his acerbic wit. His first published work, The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888) was a collection of allegorical fairy tales. Wilde's only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray was a scandal when published, with public outcries of indecency. His society comedies were his greatest successes during his lifetime, including Salomé (1893), A Woman of No Importance (1893), and his greatest dramatic work, The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Wilde's two year imprisonment was an experience documented in his final work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898).