The Nightingale and the Rose Audiobook By Oscar Wilde cover art

The Nightingale and the Rose

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection of titles.
Yours as long as you’re a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for $8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Nightingale and the Rose

By: Oscar Wilde
Narrated by: Anton Lesser
Try Standard free

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $6.23

Buy for $6.23

This is a story from the The Happy Prince and Other Stories collection.

Oscar Wilde's collection of fairy stories are among the greatest and most poignant classics for children and adults alike. Humour, pathos, delightful little characters abound in the stories of The Happy Prince and the Swallow who agrees to keep him company despite approaching winter; The Selfish Giant, who doesn't want children playing in his garden, and The Remarkable Rocket. In addition, there are those who are not so familiar: The Star Child, The Young King, and The Devoted Friend.

©1998 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd. (P)1998 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd. Fiction Classics Fairy Tales World Literature Fantasy

Editorial reviews

A nightingale overhears a forlorn lover despairing for a red rose with which to woo, and is so moved that he chooses to sacrifice himself in getting that young man the exact flower he requires. Anton Lesser, well known for his character work in British television and films, is melancholy and compelling in his performance of Irish essayist, poet, and playwright Oscar Wilde’s ironic fairy tale centered on the nature, consequences, and likely futility of love-inspired actions. This performance is a selection from The Happy Prince and Other Stories collection of Wilde’s fairy tales.
All stars
Most relevant
The reading was perfect for the tone of the story. there is also music in the background that somehow manages to add to it rather than distract from it. great story, great reading. worth a listen!

Saddest story I've ever heard

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved the drama, the narrator, Wilde’s brilliance and intense, deep use of prose to convey passion.

The story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A story that’s stucked in my head since childhood! There are three elements that mark this book as one of those you will remember forever: the innocence understanding of human love that brings self sacrifice from a bystander and shows how deep pure love really is. It clashes with taking things for granted, as if they were free. And the ungrateful rejection after a promising word.

One of the best stories ever read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I disliked this audiobook for 2 reasons: mainly because it did not read from the actual story. The narrator left important sentences out. So disappointing. Secondly, there was music playing in the background and it was very distracting.

This version is abridged!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.