His most famous work is “The Little Prince”, but he had so much more to offer than that. There are those who question whether this is really a children’s story, but on one level it certainly has an appeal as such.
Over 300 translations have been made of this work, of which there are seven english language. Michael Morpurgo being the latest english language translator. The book is dedicated to his great friend Leon Werth. The dedication apologises to all children for dedicating the book to a “grown up” then changes it to a dedication to Leon Werth as the child that he once was.
However, the story has many references to St Exupéry’s own life, particularly his plane crash in the desert, and the rose that the little prince tends is really thought to be his wife Consuelo. Theirs was a tempestuous relationship.
(Photographs that I have taken of the book illustrations)
So many of his other works are captivating, many also drawing on his own life and experiences. He died in 1944. After taking off from Corsica on a reconnaisnace mission, he crashed in the Mediterranean. Although some wreckage of his plane was eventually found in 2003, his body was never found and his death remains a mystery.