Read the First Reviews of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince.
Today marks the 82nd anniversary of the disappearance of French writer, journalist, and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. On July 31, 1944, Saint-Exupéry took off in an unarmed P-38 on his ninth reconnaissance mission for the Free French Air Force from
On July 31, 1944, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry embarked on a reconnaissance mission from Corsica, never to return. His famed work, The Little Prince, was inspired by his own crash landing in the Libyan desert. The novella follows a young prince stranded on Earth after fleeing his asteroid home, seeking wisdom and companionship. Reviews of Katherine Woods's English translation from 1943 provide insight into the book's impact.
Paul Jordan-Smith of The Los Angeles Times praised the novella as "a sweetly and simply told tale" that holds wisdom for even the most knowledgeable readers. Kirkus Reviews in April 1943 described the story as possessing a "sidewise gleam" that shines upon children, striking them in ways beyond the mind. P.L. Travers of The New York Herald Tribune echoed these sentiments, stating that the book would "strike them in some place that is not the mind and glow there until the time comes for them to comprehend it."
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