On 29 June 2025, Antoine de Saint- Exupéry would have celebrated his 125th birthday. Though he passed away 81 years ago, his timeless stories and beloved characters, like The Little Prince continue to inspire wisdom, wonder, and curiosity across generations.
Born in 1900, Saint-Exupéry’s fascination with the skies began early, with his first flight at age 12. Following his early schooling in French Catholic institutions, he was sent to a Swiss boarding school after World War I. Later, he attempted to enter the naval academy but due to his academic struggles, he failed his entrance exam and instead pursued an architectural education at the École des Beaux-Arts.
However, in 1921, the military was what helped Saint- Exupéry to fulfil his dreams of flying. He became a pilot in North Africa but after a crash near Le Bourget, France, he left the service a year later. This experience led him to discover a new passion – writing. He published a novella, called The Aviator, which was followed by his first book, Southern Mail (1929) – a novel drawing inspiration from his experiences as an air courier flying over the Sahara.
During his time as a courier, the writer, covered trajectories between France, Spain, and North Africa, often balancing both flying and writing. His first literary hit was Night Flight (1931), which won the Prix Femina literary prize. It was even made into a Hollywood movie in 1933, starring big names like John Barrymore, Helen Hayes, and Clark Gable.
In 1935, he tried to break the airspeed record between Paris and Saigon. However, his plane crashed in the Sahara, where he and his co-pilot almost lost their lives. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s 1939 memoir, Wind, Sand and Stars, recounting these experiences, earned the Grand Prize for Novel Writing from the Académie Française and the National Book Award in the United States.
Despite his literary success, aviation remained his true calling. During World War II he became a military pilot until German occupation pushed him to escape France to the US, where he wrote The Little Prince.
From a literary standpoint, The Little Prince, a story about a pilot in the desert and his talks with a young prince from a different planet, is Saint-Exupéry’s most prominent work. Illustrated by the author himself, the book was published in French and English in the US in 1943. The magical prose often explores themes of loneliness and loss, likely reflecting the author’s feeling of exile from his home country. Later, the book was published in 200 more languages, allowing people from different cultures and backgrounds to experience Saint-Exupéry’s genius.
The Little Prince is often seen as one of the greatest books of the 20th century and has inspired numerous adaptations. In addition to cinematic works, exhibitions across Europe have honoured Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s legacy, inviting audiences to explore the story and its iconic character from fresh, imaginative perspectives.
During World War II, Saint-Exupéry embarked on a mission from Corsica over occupied France and never returned. His disappearance remained a mystery until 2000. 25 years ago, in 2000 the wreckage of his plane was finally discovered near Marseille in the Mediterranean Sea. While evidence suggested he was shot down, the exact cause of his death is still unknown.
