Art, literature & culture

Publication of The Little Prince

6 April 1943

The Little Prince is a short novella written by the French aviator and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery while he was in exile in the United States during the Second World War. It was first published in New York in both English and French, with watercolour illustrations by the author, and appeared in France only after the liberation. A pilot stranded in the Sahara meets a small boy from a distant asteroid who tells him about his travels among strange adults and about a rose he loves. The story, presented as a children's tale, reflects on friendship, love, loss and the way grown-ups lose sight of what matters. Saint-Exupery disappeared on a reconnaissance flight in 1944, and the book is among the most translated in the world.

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