Summary
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's beloved novella The Little Prince has captivated readers around the world since its publication in 1943. This poetic tale of a young prince who travels the universe in search of wisdom has been translated into over 300 languages and dialects, making it one of the most translated books in history. With its profound messages about love, loss, and the importance of seeing with the heart, The Little Prince continues to resonate with both children and adults nearly 80 years after it was first written.
The story was inspired by Saint-Exupéry's own experiences as an aviator, including a near-fatal crash in the Sahara Desert in 1935. He wrote and illustrated The Little Prince while living in exile in New York during World War II, completing the manuscript in 1942. The book's simple yet elegant watercolor illustrations, also done by Saint-Exupéry, are considered an integral part of the work.
While The Little Prince has been adapted into various media over the decades, one of the most famous recent versions is the 2015 animated film directed by Mark Osborne. The movie combines stop-motion and computer animation to bring the story to life for a new generation, while staying true to the spirit of Saint-Exupéry's original work. With its timeless themes and imaginative storytelling, The Little Prince remains a treasured classic of world literature.
Plot
A pilot stranded in the Sahara desert encounters a young boy who claims to be a prince from another planet. The prince asks the pilot to draw him a sheep, and through their conversations, the pilot learns about the prince's home on a tiny asteroid. There, the prince tended to volcanoes and cared for a special rose, but left when he felt she was taking advantage of him.
The prince describes his travels to other planets, each inhabited by a single adult character representing some aspect of human nature. These include a king with no subjects, a conceited man, a drunkard, a businessman obsessed with counting stars, a lamplighter, and a geographer. Eventually the prince arrives on Earth, where he meets a fox who teaches him about friendship and taming.
Through his interactions with the fox and others on Earth, the prince gains wisdom about love and human relationships. He realizes his rose is special because of the time he devoted to her. The prince also encounters a snake who claims to be able to send him home. As the pilot repairs his plane, the prince reflects on his experiences and his desire to return to his planet.
In the end, the prince allows the snake to bite him so his body can be left behind while his spirit returns home. Before departing, he comforts the pilot, telling him to look at the stars and remember his laughter. The pilot is left to ponder the meaning of the prince's story and journey as he flies away from the desert, hoping to one day learn what became of his small friend.
Themes
The importance of imagination and seeing with the heart
The superficiality of the adult world
The value of human relationships and love
The need to look beneath the surface
The ephemeral nature of life and beauty
The critique of materialism and narrow-mindedness
The journey of self-discovery and personal growth
Setting
The story takes place primarily in the Sahara desert, where the narrator's plane has crash-landed. This harsh, desolate landscape serves as the backdrop for the encounters between the stranded pilot and the mysterious little prince.
The little prince describes his home on a tiny asteroid called B-612, which has three small volcanoes and a single rose. He has traveled to several other small planets before arriving on Earth, each inhabited by a single adult character that represents some aspect of grown-up society.
While the exact time period is not specified, the novella was written and published in the early 1940s during World War II. The themes and critiques of adult society reflect the author's experiences during this turbulent era. The story moves between the earthly desert setting and the cosmic realms visited by the little prince, blending realism with fantasy.
Characters
The Little Prince: The titular character who travels from planet to planet. He is a young, curious boy with golden hair who asks many questions. The prince comes from a tiny asteroid called B-612 where he left behind his beloved rose. His journey teaches him about love, friendship and what's truly important in life.
The Narrator: A pilot who crashes in the Sahara desert and meets the Little Prince. He serves as the storyteller and illustrator of the tale. The narrator struggles to understand the “matters of consequence” that adults care about and finds renewed meaning through his encounter with the prince.
The Rose: A vain but special flower the prince cares for on his home asteroid. She is beautiful but demanding, causing the prince to doubt her love. Their relationship teaches the prince about the nature of love and friendship.
The Fox: A wise creature the prince meets on Earth who teaches him about the importance of forging bonds. The fox explains that “One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.” His lessons help the prince understand his relationship with his rose.
The Snake: A mysterious snake the prince encounters in the desert. It speaks in riddles and offers to help the prince return to his planet through its fatal bite. The snake represents death and the prince's potential return home.
The King: The sole inhabitant of the first planet the prince visits. He claims to rule over everything but has no real subjects, highlighting the absurdity of power without purpose.
The Conceited Man: Lives alone on the second planet and craves admiration from everyone he meets. He represents vanity and the folly of caring only about oneself.
The Tippler: Found on the third planet, he drinks to forget his shame of drinking. He embodies the cycle of addiction and avoidance of problems.
The Businessman: On the fourth planet, he is obsessed with counting stars to “own” them. He represents greed and materialism at the expense of beauty and wonder.
The Lamplighter: The prince meets him on a tiny planet where day and night cycle rapidly. He dutifully lights and extinguishes a lamp, representing unquestioning dedication to duty.
The Geographer: An elderly scholar on the sixth planet who records information about other places but never leaves his desk. He embodies knowledge without experience.
Quick facts
The Little Prince was written and illustrated by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry while he was living in exile in New York during World War II.
It has been translated into over 500 languages and dialects, making it one of the most translated books in the world.
Saint-Exupéry based the prince's home asteroid, B-612, on a real asteroid discovered in 1909.
The fox character was likely inspired by Saint-Exupéry's friend Silvia Hamilton Reinhardt.
The rose in the story is thought to represent Saint-Exupéry's wife Consuelo.
Saint-Exupéry drew inspiration for the story from his own experience of crashing in the Sahara Desert in 1935.
The book was first published in 1943 in both English and French in the United States.
Saint-Exupéry dedicated the book to his friend Léon Werth, but asked children to forgive him for dedicating it to a grown-up.
The original manuscript is held by the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City.
Saint-Exupéry disappeared while flying a reconnaissance mission in 1944, just a year after The Little Prince was published.
About the Author
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a renowned French writer and aviator born in 1900. He became a pilot at age 26 and pioneered commercial aviation routes in Europe, Africa and South America in the late 1920s and early 1930s. During this time, Saint-Exupéry began writing, publishing his first novella The Aviator in 1926 and his first novel Southern Mail in 1929. His 1931 novel Night Flight brought him literary acclaim, winning the prestigious Prix Femina award.
Saint-Exupéry continued balancing his dual careers as a pilot and author throughout the 1930s. He flew reconnaissance missions during the Spanish Civil War and published the memoir Wind, Sand and Stars in 1939, which won France's Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française and the U.S. National Book Award. When World War II began, he joined the French Air Force despite being over the age limit for combat pilots. After France's defeat in 1940, Saint-Exupéry fled to New York where he wrote some of his most famous works, including Flight to Arras and The Little Prince.
In 1943, Saint-Exupéry returned to flying combat missions with the Free French Air Force in North Africa, even though he was 43 years old and in declining health. On July 31, 1944, he took off from Corsica on a reconnaissance mission and never returned, disappearing over the Mediterranean. The wreckage of his plane was not discovered until 2000, though the cause of the crash remains unknown. In the decades since his death, Saint-Exupéry has become renowned worldwide for The Little Prince, which has been translated into over 250 languages.
Saint-Exupéry left behind a rich literary legacy that continues to captivate readers. His poetic writings often drew on his experiences as a pilot, exploring themes of duty, friendship, and the search for meaning in life. In addition to his novels and memoirs, he wrote essays and journalistic pieces. France has honored Saint-Exupéry with inclusion in the Panthéon and by naming airports, train stations and other landmarks after him.
