Book Name : The Happy Prince
Author : Oscar Wilde
What is it about : A few of the most fabled short stories written by this famous author. These included the titled story The Happy Prince where a bejeweled statue overlooking the city witnessed the poverty and derelict conditions and made life better for its citizens with the help of a gentle swallow; The Remarkable Rocket featured a self-centred rocket fizzling out of life when his ability was somehow overlooked; The Selfish Giant initially made life miserable for his garden's visitors but made amends when the Giant was blessed by a Miracle and my favourite : The Fisherman And His Soul where the Fisherman wanted to sell his soul in order to be with his love, a mermaid, only to find his soul returning again and again with increasing tempting offers.
Author : Oscar Wilde
What is it about : A few of the most fabled short stories written by this famous author. These included the titled story The Happy Prince where a bejeweled statue overlooking the city witnessed the poverty and derelict conditions and made life better for its citizens with the help of a gentle swallow; The Remarkable Rocket featured a self-centred rocket fizzling out of life when his ability was somehow overlooked; The Selfish Giant initially made life miserable for his garden's visitors but made amends when the Giant was blessed by a Miracle and my favourite : The Fisherman And His Soul where the Fisherman wanted to sell his soul in order to be with his love, a mermaid, only to find his soul returning again and again with increasing tempting offers.
Some thoughts after having read the book : All the stories were charming, delightful and brimming with wit and wisdom as well as colorful characters like talking frogs, a self-pitying dwarf, a family of witty firework members; basically the author breathed life into all the objects in our world. A few examples : "... and the Swallow began to think and he fell asleep; thinking always made him sleepy ..." ; "... the Frog said it liked to do all the talking himself, it saves time and prevents arguments ..." ; "... the Priest showed the Shadow their Pagan God, a magical Mirror which speaks not opinion, but wisdom ...".
Would I recommend this book to you : All aspiring short story writers should read this book as a lesson in how to maximum effectiveness with precise and economical usage of words and sentences. A book for all seasons and all readers - outstanding writing, witty, un-imaginable imagination and the stories awash with super colorful characters, all of them turning your day into a bright and cheerful one.
