The Young King

"The Young King" is a short historical fiction story for children by the Irish author Oscar Wilde. It was first published in 1891 as part of the anthology House of Pomegranates, which also includes "The Birthday of the Infanta", "The Fisherman and his Soul" and "The Star-Child". The action of "The Young King" takes place in an unnamed kingdom at an unspecified point in the past. The story's title character and protagonist is a 16-year-old boy. Although he has grown up in poverty, after he becomes king, he thinks only of rare and beautiful objects. His attitude towards those objects changes radically after he has three bad dreams. In the dreams, he sees how other people suffer and even die in order to obtain and create the objects for him. The story has strong moralistic and religious overtones.