Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de, << san tehg zoo pay REE, ahn TWAHN duh >> (1900-1944), a French aviator, created the literature of aviation in France. However, he is probably best known for his fantasy, The Little Prince (1943), which he also illustrated. In the story, a young prince from a distant planet tells the author of his experiences as he wandered among the planets seeking wisdom. The Little Prince, like Saint-Exupéry’s other major writings, reflects his regard for human values and his opposition to all abuses of the human spirit.
Saint-Exupéry was born on June 29, 1900, in Lyon. He served in the French Army Air Force from 1921 to 1923. In 1926, he became a commercial pilot, flying from France to west Africa and in South America. He based his first books, the novels Southern Mail (1928) and Night Flight (1931), on these early flights. Wind, Sand and Stars (1939) is a collection of philosophical essays on the risks and rewards of flying.
During World War II (1939-1945), Saint-Exupéry flew dangerous reconnaissance missions. Flight to Arras (1942) is an account of one such wartime assignment. His Wartime Writings: 1939-1944 was published in 1986. On July 31, 1944, Saint-Exupéry disappeared on a photographic mission.
