Book Review: The Complete Fairy Stories of Oscar Wilde, Illustrated by Philippe Jullian

For nearly 150 years, the classic fairy stories of Oscar Wilde have been cherished by readers of all ages. Rediscover all nine of the stories first published in The Happy Prince and other stories (1888) and A House of Pomegranates (1891) in this beautiful new edition of Duckworth’s exquisite 1952 complete collection, featuring intricate illustrations by the celebrated twentieth-century artist and aesthete Phillippe Jullian, and an afterword by Wilde’s son Vyvyan Holland.

GENRE: Poetry / Fairy Tales

PURCHASE LINKS: Duckworth Books (universal purchase link)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Born in Dublin in 1854, Oscar Wilde was an Irish wit, playwright and poet best remembered for his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), and his social comedies including The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). He published two volumes of beloved fairy tales. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and Magdalen College, Oxford. In 1884 he married Constance Lloyd, and his two sons were born in 1885 and 1886. Wilde died in Paris in 1900.

Review & Recommended Listening

The afterword by Wilde's son is an excellent summary of what to expect from this book, so let me start my review by quoting that here as it's far better than what I can articulate:

To appreciate Oscar Wilde's fairy stories fully two facts must be borne in mind. First, that he was almost wholly Irish in ancestry; and, secondly, that throughout most of his life he had a strong leaning towards the Church of Rome, with its mediaevalism and mysticism. [...] So it is that we find in Oscar Wilde's stories that blend folk-lore and religious impulse that has always actuated Irish poets.

[...] The fairy story, in the form of folklore, is the earliest form of "literature," apart from religious records, which man possesses, and it dates from long before man learned to read or to write. It is the only form of story which carries its message to all ages and to all races. [...] The children's tales of Oscar Wilde are a poet's tales and are really poems in prose.

We're not talking about Disney's romanticized fairy stories here. Sure, animals and inanimate objects are alive and can talk, but the tales you'll find in this book are more of the Grimm variety, where birds die and evil can get away. Some of the stories try to impart lessons, and a few are clearly religious in tone. But they are a wonderful collection of stories nonetheless, a classic for all ages. Wilde's son describes it best, really: poems in prose.

I wasn't able to get my hands on the hardcover though, which is described as "a stunning 70th-anniversary gift edition of Duckworth’s treasured complete fairy tales of Oscar Wilde, quarter-bound with foil cover detailing, beautifully illustrated with over twenty original line drawings by distinguished French artist Philippe Jullian." From that alone, you can be sure it's a lovely, gift-worthy book that's perfect with the holidays coming up! But the digital edition still contains the beautiful illustrations, and, well, what I love about (digital) anthologies and collections is how you can read it on a piecemeal basis, one story at a time, on the go.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommended Listening: As I mentioned in my open call for books to review, I’ll now be adding a song to my reviews! It’ll be one that either sums up the book for me, what I’d imagine in a trailer were it a movie, something that I associate with the story or one of the characters for whatever reason… or maybe even an original inspired by it 😉