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小王子
《小王子》讲述主人公小王子从自己星球出发前往地球的过程中，所经历的各种历险。本书将1943年《小王子》首次出版时的63幅原版插画公开展示，并对每一幅图进行了详细的解读。这些插画完全出自作者之手，没有经过任何的再加工，让读者通过这些原本的手绘图感受到作者倾注在其中的思想。此外，本书附有作者的生平简介，让读者能够更加深入的了解这位传奇的作家兼飞行员。书后还附有《小王子》英文版、法文版原文，供每一位喜欢《小王子》的读者学习、参考。这并不是一本只写给孩子的童话书，而是写给我们每个人的人生寓言。
Hardcover
First published April 6, 1943
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About the author
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
1,471 books8,847 followersPeople best know French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry for his fairy tale
The Little Prince
(1943).
He flew for the first time at the age of 12 years in 1912 at the Ambérieu airfield and then determined to a pilot. Even after moving to a school in Switzerland and spending summer vacations at the château of the family at Saint-Maurice-de-Rémens in east, he kept that ambition. He repeatedly uses the house at Saint-Maurice.
Later, in Paris, he failed the entrance exams for the naval academy and instead enrolled at the prestigious l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts. In 1921, Saint-Exupéry, stationed in Strasbourg, began serving in the military. He learned and forever settled his career path as a pilot. After leaving the service in 1923, Saint-Exupéry worked in several professions but in 1926 went back and signed as a pilot for Aéropostale, a private airline that from Toulouse flew mail to Dakar, Senegal. In 1927, Saint-Exupéry accepted the position of airfield chief for Cape Juby in southern Morocco and began his first book, a memoir, called Southern Mail and published in 1929.
He then moved briefly to Buenos Aires to oversee the establishment of an Argentinean mail service, returned to Paris in 1931, and then published Night Flight , which won instant success and the prestigious Prix Femina. Always daring Saint-Exupéry tried from Paris in 1935 to break the speed record for flying to Saigon. Unfortunately, his plane crashed in the Libyan Desert, and he and his copilot trudged through the sand for three days to find help. In 1938, a second plane crash at that time, as he tried to fly between city of New York and Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, seriously injured him. The crash resulted in a long convalescence in New York.
He published Wind, Sand and Stars , next novel, in 1939. This great success won the grand prize for novel of the academy and the national book award in the United States. Saint-Exupéry flew reconnaissance missions at the beginning of the Second World War but went to New York to ask the United States for help when the Germans occupied his country. He drew on his wartime experiences to publish Flight to Arras and Letter to a Hostage in 1942.
Later in 1943, Saint-Exupéry rejoined his air squadron in northern Africa. From earlier plane crashes, Saint-Exupéry still suffered physically, and people forbade him to fly, but he insisted on a mission. From Borgo, Corsica, on 31 July 1944, he set to overfly occupied region. He never returned.
He flew for the first time at the age of 12 years in 1912 at the Ambérieu airfield and then determined to a pilot. Even after moving to a school in Switzerland and spending summer vacations at the château of the family at Saint-Maurice-de-Rémens in east, he kept that ambition. He repeatedly uses the house at Saint-Maurice.
Later, in Paris, he failed the entrance exams for the naval academy and instead enrolled at the prestigious l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts. In 1921, Saint-Exupéry, stationed in Strasbourg, began serving in the military. He learned and forever settled his career path as a pilot. After leaving the service in 1923, Saint-Exupéry worked in several professions but in 1926 went back and signed as a pilot for Aéropostale, a private airline that from Toulouse flew mail to Dakar, Senegal. In 1927, Saint-Exupéry accepted the position of airfield chief for Cape Juby in southern Morocco and began his first book, a memoir, called Southern Mail and published in 1929.
He then moved briefly to Buenos Aires to oversee the establishment of an Argentinean mail service, returned to Paris in 1931, and then published Night Flight , which won instant success and the prestigious Prix Femina. Always daring Saint-Exupéry tried from Paris in 1935 to break the speed record for flying to Saigon. Unfortunately, his plane crashed in the Libyan Desert, and he and his copilot trudged through the sand for three days to find help. In 1938, a second plane crash at that time, as he tried to fly between city of New York and Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, seriously injured him. The crash resulted in a long convalescence in New York.
He published Wind, Sand and Stars , next novel, in 1939. This great success won the grand prize for novel of the academy and the national book award in the United States. Saint-Exupéry flew reconnaissance missions at the beginning of the Second World War but went to New York to ask the United States for help when the Germans occupied his country. He drew on his wartime experiences to publish Flight to Arras and Letter to a Hostage in 1942.
Later in 1943, Saint-Exupéry rejoined his air squadron in northern Africa. From earlier plane crashes, Saint-Exupéry still suffered physically, and people forbade him to fly, but he insisted on a mission. From Borgo, Corsica, on 31 July 1944, he set to overfly occupied region. He never returned.
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March 17, 2023
*** For those who somehow have no idea about what happens in The Little Prince or cannot figure it out at a reasonable spot in the book, here is a warning - THERE WILL BE, as much as I hate applying this term to this incredibly famous classic that does not rely on Aha! moments to keep the readers' attention, SPOILERS! ****
-----------
'You do understand that the Little Prince died?' my mother asked as carefully and gently as only adults who know that loss of innocence can be crushing but is brutally necessary can do.
'No, he didn't. He went back to his home planet and that stupid rose. It says so right here,' I replied with the comforting stubbornness of an eight-year-old.
Later that night, I quietly reread the book and the sad truth clicked, and so did the belated thought that for all the gentle berating of adults in it, this strange and beautiful book was written by one of them and definitely for them, and not for me, and by luring me in with the beautiful pictures it pushed me just a bit further on the inevitable road to adulthood.
Or so I see now.
Back then, I decided to read the author's biography instead as a distraction from the thoughts that were trying to be a bit more grown-up than my heart cared for - I was the odd kid of a literature teacher mother, after all - just to learn that just after writing this book, Antoine de Saint Exupery died when flying his plane in a war to liberate his country, killed by adults who played a game of war, too dangerous and cruel. And that finally made me cry.
And then I went back to the simple security of childhood.
Then I grew up, inevitably, like most of us do. I learned to do my fair share of 'matters of consequence'. I learned the painful understanding of why certain vain but naive roses can hold such sad power over our hearts. I learned the comfort and longing of nostalgia, the fear of the crushing burden of loneliness, the understanding of fragile beauty of the world that can be so easily taken away at any moment. I became a grown-up, and I have to learn to reconcile my inner child with my outer age.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
-----------
'You do understand that the Little Prince died?' my mother asked as carefully and gently as only adults who know that loss of innocence can be crushing but is brutally necessary can do.
'No, he didn't. He went back to his home planet and that stupid rose. It says so right here,' I replied with the comforting stubbornness of an eight-year-old.
Later that night, I quietly reread the book and the sad truth clicked, and so did the belated thought that for all the gentle berating of adults in it, this strange and beautiful book was written by one of them and definitely for them, and not for me, and by luring me in with the beautiful pictures it pushed me just a bit further on the inevitable road to adulthood.
Or so I see now.
Back then, I decided to read the author's biography instead as a distraction from the thoughts that were trying to be a bit more grown-up than my heart cared for - I was the odd kid of a literature teacher mother, after all - just to learn that just after writing this book, Antoine de Saint Exupery died when flying his plane in a war to liberate his country, killed by adults who played a game of war, too dangerous and cruel. And that finally made me cry.
And then I went back to the simple security of childhood.
Then I grew up, inevitably, like most of us do. I learned to do my fair share of 'matters of consequence'. I learned the painful understanding of why certain vain but naive roses can hold such sad power over our hearts. I learned the comfort and longing of nostalgia, the fear of the crushing burden of loneliness, the understanding of fragile beauty of the world that can be so easily taken away at any moment. I became a grown-up, and I have to learn to reconcile my inner child with my outer age.
"In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence. I have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn't much improved my opinion of them."Now, reading this intensely lyrical and mesmerizing book written by an ailing middle-aged adult far away from the country he loved in the middle of war-torn years, I am confronted with emotions that ruthlessly hurt, hidden in the deceiving simplicity of a (supposedly) children's story just like an elephant was hidden inside a boa constrictor - or was it simply a hat all along? - in the opening paragraphs of this book. I sigh and tear up, and try to resist the urge to pick up the golden-haired child that never stopped until he got answers to his questions and carry him away into safety. But I can't. Because if I do so, there will never be 500 billion bells in the stars, and we will never wonder whether the rose is still alive - and it needs to be, because we are responsible for those we have tamed.
"But I was not reassured. I remembered the fox. One runs the risk of weeping a little, if one lets himself be tamed."This is not a book for children. It's for adults who remember being children and feel nostalgia for the simple comfort of childhood innocence but know they can never go back to it. Because they have met their Roses, and Foxes, and drank from a well with a rusty handle in the desert, and learned that a few thorns may not stand against the claws of a tiger. Unlike the Little Prince, they can no longer go back - but they can look at the night starry sky and laugh, and imagine that they hear an answering clear laughter.
"In certain more important details I shall make mistakes, also. But that is something that will not be my fault. My friend never explained anything to me. He thought, perhaps, that I was like himself. But I, alas, do not know how to see sheep through the walls of boxes. Perhaps I am a little like the grown-ups. I have had to grow old."
'What makes the desert beautiful,' said the little prince, 'is that somewhere it hides a well.'
——————
Also posted on my blog.
October 20, 2023
“What is essential is invisible to the eyes.”
Saint-Exupéry’s plane crashes in the middle of the Sahara desert; with limited supplies and no hopes of finding help, his time is short to fix his airship. One day after waking up he finds a beautiful young boy playing on the sand, and starts to wonder if he may be losing his mind. Is he dehydrated and the boy a product of his imagination? Who is that little boy and what on earth is he doing in the middle of the desert? And why does he keeps asking to draw him a sheep?
One of the firsts books I picked up from my parent’s bookcase, if not the very first. A book I read during my teens and deeply LOVED, with a soul shattering ending that I never fully recovered from. To this day I think this is the first book I read with a devastating ending.
A book everyone should try to read at least once in their lifetime, but never force it. I think it’s essential for this book to come just at the right invisible time, and very important to keep an open mind about it. Don’t over analyze it too much, and it should be easy to enjoy. I think any kid can love it, or any adult with a healthy child at heart.
A must read in life. Extremely Recommendable.
*** The Little Prince (2015) is a beautifully touching movie that has much and little to do with the original work. This film is more of a modern retelling of what ‘The Little Prince 1 & 2’ would’ve been, if such a sequel existed. Still, of all the adaptations I’ve watched (which is to say the only one in this case ehem), it’s so VERY worth it. An extremely heartfelt animation and something any reader of the Little Prince would probably love. A fantastic film with gorgeous artwork and an amazing voicing cast. Very Recommendable. Just mind it includes a lot more stuff than just a plain adaptation.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1943] [96p] [Classics] [Extremely Recommendable] [B 612]
-----------------------------------------------
“Lo esencial es invisible a los ojos.”
El avión de Saint-Exupéry se estrella en medio del desierto del Sahara; con escasos recursos y sin esperanza de hallar ayuda, su tiempo es corto para tratar de arreglar su nave. Un día al despertar se encuentra con un hermoso joven muchacho jugando en la arena, y se empieza a preguntar si tal vez esté perdiendo la cabeza. ¿Está deshidratado y el niño un producto de su imaginación? ¿Quién es ese muchachito y qué por los cielos está haciendo en el medio del desierto? ¿Y por qué sigue insistiendo en que le dibuje una oveja?
Este fue uno de los primeros libros que escogí de la biblioteca de mis viejos, si no es que el mismísimo primero. Un libro que leí durante mi adolescencia y AME profundamente, con un final que parte el alma y del cual nunca llegué a recuperarme completamente. Hasta el día de hoy creo que es el primer libro que leí con un final devastador.
Un libro que todo el mundo debería intentar leer al menos una vez en la vida, pero sin jamás forzarlo. Creo que es esencial que este libro llegue justo en el invisible momento adecuado, y muy importante leerlo con una mente abierta. No sobre analizarlo demasiado, y seguramente será fácil disfrutarlo. Creo que cualquier niño puede amarlo, o cualquier adulto con un niño saludable en su interior.
Un deber para leer en la vida. Extremadamente Recomendable.
*** El Principito (2015) es una hermosamente conmovedora película que tiene mucho y poco que ver con la obra original. Este filme es una especie de recreación moderna de lo que sería ‘El Principito 1 & 2’, si dicha secuela existiera. Igual, de todas las adaptaciones que vi (que dicho sea de paso es una sola en este caso ehem), esta lo vale MUCHO. Una extremadamente emotiva película animada y algo que cualquier lector del Principito probablemente amaría. Una fantástica y bellísima obra artística con un excelente elenco de voces. Muy Recomendable. Sólo sepan que incluye muchas más cosas que una simple adaptación.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1943] [96p] [Clásicos] [Extremadamente Recomendable] [B 612]
-----------------------------------------------
Saint-Exupéry’s plane crashes in the middle of the Sahara desert; with limited supplies and no hopes of finding help, his time is short to fix his airship. One day after waking up he finds a beautiful young boy playing on the sand, and starts to wonder if he may be losing his mind. Is he dehydrated and the boy a product of his imagination? Who is that little boy and what on earth is he doing in the middle of the desert? And why does he keeps asking to draw him a sheep?
One of the firsts books I picked up from my parent’s bookcase, if not the very first. A book I read during my teens and deeply LOVED, with a soul shattering ending that I never fully recovered from. To this day I think this is the first book I read with a devastating ending.
A book everyone should try to read at least once in their lifetime, but never force it. I think it’s essential for this book to come just at the right invisible time, and very important to keep an open mind about it. Don’t over analyze it too much, and it should be easy to enjoy. I think any kid can love it, or any adult with a healthy child at heart.
A must read in life. Extremely Recommendable.
*** The Little Prince (2015) is a beautifully touching movie that has much and little to do with the original work. This film is more of a modern retelling of what ‘The Little Prince 1 & 2’ would’ve been, if such a sequel existed. Still, of all the adaptations I’ve watched (which is to say the only one in this case ehem), it’s so VERY worth it. An extremely heartfelt animation and something any reader of the Little Prince would probably love. A fantastic film with gorgeous artwork and an amazing voicing cast. Very Recommendable. Just mind it includes a lot more stuff than just a plain adaptation.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1943] [96p] [Classics] [Extremely Recommendable] [B 612]
-----------------------------------------------
“Lo esencial es invisible a los ojos.”
El avión de Saint-Exupéry se estrella en medio del desierto del Sahara; con escasos recursos y sin esperanza de hallar ayuda, su tiempo es corto para tratar de arreglar su nave. Un día al despertar se encuentra con un hermoso joven muchacho jugando en la arena, y se empieza a preguntar si tal vez esté perdiendo la cabeza. ¿Está deshidratado y el niño un producto de su imaginación? ¿Quién es ese muchachito y qué por los cielos está haciendo en el medio del desierto? ¿Y por qué sigue insistiendo en que le dibuje una oveja?
Este fue uno de los primeros libros que escogí de la biblioteca de mis viejos, si no es que el mismísimo primero. Un libro que leí durante mi adolescencia y AME profundamente, con un final que parte el alma y del cual nunca llegué a recuperarme completamente. Hasta el día de hoy creo que es el primer libro que leí con un final devastador.
Un libro que todo el mundo debería intentar leer al menos una vez en la vida, pero sin jamás forzarlo. Creo que es esencial que este libro llegue justo en el invisible momento adecuado, y muy importante leerlo con una mente abierta. No sobre analizarlo demasiado, y seguramente será fácil disfrutarlo. Creo que cualquier niño puede amarlo, o cualquier adulto con un niño saludable en su interior.
Un deber para leer en la vida. Extremadamente Recomendable.
*** El Principito (2015) es una hermosamente conmovedora película que tiene mucho y poco que ver con la obra original. Este filme es una especie de recreación moderna de lo que sería ‘El Principito 1 & 2’, si dicha secuela existiera. Igual, de todas las adaptaciones que vi (que dicho sea de paso es una sola en este caso ehem), esta lo vale MUCHO. Una extremadamente emotiva película animada y algo que cualquier lector del Principito probablemente amaría. Una fantástica y bellísima obra artística con un excelente elenco de voces. Muy Recomendable. Sólo sepan que incluye muchas más cosas que una simple adaptación.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1943] [96p] [Clásicos] [Extremadamente Recomendable] [B 612]
-----------------------------------------------
September 18, 2024
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
i find it almost impossible to write on this book at all, let alone extensively enough to constitute a review. it's just so lovely and wonderful, and it really seems like one of those books that reveals another facet with every reading.
(it was just as delightful the second and third read as the first, and nearly as great in english as in french.)
i just...love it.
but here's my attempt:
this might be in my top five favorite books ever.
that should really be all I have to say to convince you to read it. but in case you need more, i will provide. (no one can say i don’t give, guys.)
first, it’s unbelievably short. if you need more than one sitting to read this book, Something Is Wrong. or perhaps you are reading it aloud to a newborn who cries a lot, or a very poorly behaved adult, in which case I suppose it’s understandable.
no excuse for children. they should be enchanted from the get-go.
the language is also unbelievably lovely.
it’s also incredibly profound. there are countless morals and metaphors and meanings to this book (check out that alliteration). i catch something new with each read. there’s so much imagination appreciation in this book. also star and flower appreciation, and those are two of the things that make life the most worth living. and books of course. and this book IS a book! three for three! (it misses on another reason to live, which is sweets, but you can’t win them all.)
the author’s name is Antoine de Saint Exupéry, which is one of the cooler names I’ve ever heard. when de Saint Exupéry wrote this, he was a sad and lonely frenchman in new york, with a vain and beautiful wife whom he loved very much. a lot of really deft analysis of the human experience, including some truly hot takes on american city types. (it’s better than I’m making it sound.)
most importantly, THIS BOOK IS TOTALLY ALL TRUE. 100% nonfiction, baby.
the narrator of this book is a pilot who crash-lands in the desert, where he meets the little prince. Antoine de Saint Exupéry was presumed dead after his plane (and he) went missing over the ocean. the plane was found, BUT HIS BODY NEVER WAS. the obvious conclusion is that he’s in the stars with the little prince.
bottom line: children's classics supremacy.
i find it almost impossible to write on this book at all, let alone extensively enough to constitute a review. it's just so lovely and wonderful, and it really seems like one of those books that reveals another facet with every reading.
(it was just as delightful the second and third read as the first, and nearly as great in english as in french.)
i just...love it.
but here's my attempt:
this might be in my top five favorite books ever.
that should really be all I have to say to convince you to read it. but in case you need more, i will provide. (no one can say i don’t give, guys.)
first, it’s unbelievably short. if you need more than one sitting to read this book, Something Is Wrong. or perhaps you are reading it aloud to a newborn who cries a lot, or a very poorly behaved adult, in which case I suppose it’s understandable.
no excuse for children. they should be enchanted from the get-go.
the language is also unbelievably lovely.
it’s also incredibly profound. there are countless morals and metaphors and meanings to this book (check out that alliteration). i catch something new with each read. there’s so much imagination appreciation in this book. also star and flower appreciation, and those are two of the things that make life the most worth living. and books of course. and this book IS a book! three for three! (it misses on another reason to live, which is sweets, but you can’t win them all.)
the author’s name is Antoine de Saint Exupéry, which is one of the cooler names I’ve ever heard. when de Saint Exupéry wrote this, he was a sad and lonely frenchman in new york, with a vain and beautiful wife whom he loved very much. a lot of really deft analysis of the human experience, including some truly hot takes on american city types. (it’s better than I’m making it sound.)
most importantly, THIS BOOK IS TOTALLY ALL TRUE. 100% nonfiction, baby.
the narrator of this book is a pilot who crash-lands in the desert, where he meets the little prince. Antoine de Saint Exupéry was presumed dead after his plane (and he) went missing over the ocean. the plane was found, BUT HIS BODY NEVER WAS. the obvious conclusion is that he’s in the stars with the little prince.
bottom line: children's classics supremacy.
August 12, 2024
The Little Prince is a short story of a man who crash lands his plane in a remote part of the desert. The man meets a little fellow, The Little Prince, who regales him with his tales of his travels around the universe.
This was a short book that carried a big punch. Although it is often labeled as a children’s story, it is so full of beautiful symbolism. The Little Prince is worth reading once a year.
My favorite tale from The Little Prince’s travel is the story of the businessman. The businessman is busy counting the stars, claiming to own them because he first discovered them. The Little Prince asks him what he does with the stars, and the businessman says nothing.
“I own a flower myself,” he (The Little Prince) continued, “which I water every day. I own three volcanoes, which I rake out every week. I even rake out the extinct one. You never know. So it’s of some use to my volcanoes, and it’s useful to my flower, that I own them. But you’re not useful to the stars.”
There was another quote that I just loved: “I need to put up with two or three caterpillars if I want to get to know the butterflies.”
This book is part of the 100 Books To Read According to the BBC:
https://www.listchallenges.com/bbcs-t...
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Insta My Bookstore at Pango
This was a short book that carried a big punch. Although it is often labeled as a children’s story, it is so full of beautiful symbolism. The Little Prince is worth reading once a year.
My favorite tale from The Little Prince’s travel is the story of the businessman. The businessman is busy counting the stars, claiming to own them because he first discovered them. The Little Prince asks him what he does with the stars, and the businessman says nothing.
“I own a flower myself,” he (The Little Prince) continued, “which I water every day. I own three volcanoes, which I rake out every week. I even rake out the extinct one. You never know. So it’s of some use to my volcanoes, and it’s useful to my flower, that I own them. But you’re not useful to the stars.”
There was another quote that I just loved: “I need to put up with two or three caterpillars if I want to get to know the butterflies.”
This book is part of the 100 Books To Read According to the BBC:
https://www.listchallenges.com/bbcs-t...
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Insta My Bookstore at Pango
March 7, 2015
The next asteroid the Little Prince came to was inhabited by a Quiz Addict. He sat hunched in front of his laptop, and barely looked up when the Little Prince greeted him. There was nowhere else to sit, since the whole asteroid was covered in books.
"Good morning!" said the Little Prince.
"I'm sorry, I don't have time to talk to you," said the Quiz Addict. "I am very busy. Wait. In Twilight, what color was Edward's car?"
"I don't know," said the Little Prince. "I have never read this book Twilight."
"I think it was blue," said the man. "Damn! I was wrong. Silver. In Twilight, who joined the Cullen family first?"
"I told you," said the Little Prince, "that I haven't read this book. But it must be an interesting book if you answer questions about it all day long. I would very much like to read it."
"It is the stupidest book ever written!" said the man.
"Then why do you answer questions about it all day long?" asked the Little Prince.
"Because if I don't," sighed the man, "then my friend on asteroid B451 will get ahead of me. "He has read the whole series. Luckily, he hasn't read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
"When you have finished the Quiz," asked the Little Prince, "I hope you will be able to read some of these books you have around you? I notice that you have had Atonement on your to-read list for the last six months."
"It is a Never-Ending Quiz," answered the man. "In Twilight, what color was Edward's car?"
"I believe you said silver?" answered the Little Prince politely.
"Thank you," muttered the man. "Yes! You were right. I should have known that."
"I'm sorry, I must be going," said the Little Prince. And he went on his way, thinking that grown-ups were very, very, very strange.
"Good morning!" said the Little Prince.
"I'm sorry, I don't have time to talk to you," said the Quiz Addict. "I am very busy. Wait. In Twilight, what color was Edward's car?"
"I don't know," said the Little Prince. "I have never read this book Twilight."
"I think it was blue," said the man. "Damn! I was wrong. Silver. In Twilight, who joined the Cullen family first?"
"I told you," said the Little Prince, "that I haven't read this book. But it must be an interesting book if you answer questions about it all day long. I would very much like to read it."
"It is the stupidest book ever written!" said the man.
"Then why do you answer questions about it all day long?" asked the Little Prince.
"Because if I don't," sighed the man, "then my friend on asteroid B451 will get ahead of me. "He has read the whole series. Luckily, he hasn't read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
"When you have finished the Quiz," asked the Little Prince, "I hope you will be able to read some of these books you have around you? I notice that you have had Atonement on your to-read list for the last six months."
"It is a Never-Ending Quiz," answered the man. "In Twilight, what color was Edward's car?"
"I believe you said silver?" answered the Little Prince politely.
"Thank you," muttered the man. "Yes! You were right. I should have known that."
"I'm sorry, I must be going," said the Little Prince. And he went on his way, thinking that grown-ups were very, very, very strange.
April 14, 2020
We are all children in adult bodies. Yes we are, don't think we aren't for one moment. The fact that we WERE, indeed, children, is a huge part of each of us. It is possible to shed a few appreciative tears on every page of this book if you entertain the thought that the pilot IS The Little Prince. Maybe you won't think that--maybe you'll have your own take on the book---that's the magic about it. This book is translated to English from French. If you understand and/or appreciate French, the deliciousness of that fact can affect you in addition to the sweet storyline itself. The book won't even take you a whole day to read. Consider honoring the Little You that still remains, and resides within you, and read this salute to childhood, to innocence, and to you. It just takes a 'Little' imagination and bravery.
September 4, 2025
(A) 85% | Extraordinary
Notes: Opens rough, like stalks of wheat, bit raw to eat, but flavors build as meaning's milled and by the end it tastes a treat.
Notes: Opens rough, like stalks of wheat, bit raw to eat, but flavors build as meaning's milled and by the end it tastes a treat.
July 1, 2017
Pero qué cosa tan más hermosa.
Tengo un vago recuerdo de haberlo leído cuando estaba pequeña, pero ni de cerca me impactó como me ha impactado ahora.
Tengo un vago recuerdo de haberlo leído cuando estaba pequeña, pero ni de cerca me impactó como me ha impactado ahora.
February 8, 2019
'one sees clearly only with the heart.'
sometimes i fall into a mood where i am simply tired of life. where i just want to crawl under the duvet with a cup of tea, hug a book and never let go. 'the little prince' is that book for me. its a truly special treasure. its precious. its my rose.
___________________________________
«on ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur.»
parfois, je deviens fatigué de la vie. et je veux ramper sous la couette avec une tasse de thé, embrasser un livre et ne jamais lâcher. «le petit prince» est ce livre pour moi. c'est un trésor spécial. c'est précieux. c'est ma rose.
↠ 5 stars
sometimes i fall into a mood where i am simply tired of life. where i just want to crawl under the duvet with a cup of tea, hug a book and never let go. 'the little prince' is that book for me. its a truly special treasure. its precious. its my rose.
___________________________________
«on ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur.»
parfois, je deviens fatigué de la vie. et je veux ramper sous la couette avec une tasse de thé, embrasser un livre et ne jamais lâcher. «le petit prince» est ce livre pour moi. c'est un trésor spécial. c'est précieux. c'est ma rose.
↠ 5 stars
February 10, 2017
So amazing. I can see many rereads of this in the years to come.
July 7, 2023
Starting the avalanche of sophisticated children´s books
With a bang so loud that it´s hard to top
The density of philosophical insights, innuendos, and connotations is so immense that one can´t find just one interpretation, but tons of them. It subjectively depends on what one´s ideology is to imagine what the different characters and actions could mean. Because besides the
Obvious criticism of the destruction of childhood imagination and creativity by indoctrination and conformity
One could put on a political, sociological, economic, ethical, psychological, etc hat and start guessing what snake, prince, pilot, child pilot flashback, different humans, the asteroid, etc. mean. Not just Saint Exupery delivered different options when talking about his work, but loads of wise people reading and reviewing it too.
Many other classics can widely be defined with one interpretation
but that´s definitively not the case here. One is left with a universe of possible ways to expand one´s thoughts, which is also the reason why this concept has been copied so many times in books and graphic novels. The seemingly trivial, short, and superficial works are so much more than they seem, they do the same service as very good satire. They
Enlighten kids even more and try to open the ossified minds of the adults
Because one has to face it. After reading, again, one more of these short stories, novellas, and sometimes even full novels, one goes into New Years´Eve good resolutions mode. „I´ll change my mindset, check my cognitive biases, be more objective towards my own beliefs, yada yada yada.“ What´s mostly left after days and weeks is that one is still the same, stubborn, bigoted adult scarred by nature and, by this work, perfectly owned and ridiculed nurture and education.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
With a bang so loud that it´s hard to top
The density of philosophical insights, innuendos, and connotations is so immense that one can´t find just one interpretation, but tons of them. It subjectively depends on what one´s ideology is to imagine what the different characters and actions could mean. Because besides the
Obvious criticism of the destruction of childhood imagination and creativity by indoctrination and conformity
One could put on a political, sociological, economic, ethical, psychological, etc hat and start guessing what snake, prince, pilot, child pilot flashback, different humans, the asteroid, etc. mean. Not just Saint Exupery delivered different options when talking about his work, but loads of wise people reading and reviewing it too.
Many other classics can widely be defined with one interpretation
but that´s definitively not the case here. One is left with a universe of possible ways to expand one´s thoughts, which is also the reason why this concept has been copied so many times in books and graphic novels. The seemingly trivial, short, and superficial works are so much more than they seem, they do the same service as very good satire. They
Enlighten kids even more and try to open the ossified minds of the adults
Because one has to face it. After reading, again, one more of these short stories, novellas, and sometimes even full novels, one goes into New Years´Eve good resolutions mode. „I´ll change my mindset, check my cognitive biases, be more objective towards my own beliefs, yada yada yada.“ What´s mostly left after days and weeks is that one is still the same, stubborn, bigoted adult scarred by nature and, by this work, perfectly owned and ridiculed nurture and education.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
![Profile Image for s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1735525095i%2F6431467._UX200_CR0%2C11%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
July 5, 2025
‘The world is full of magic things patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper,’ Irish poet W.B. Yeats once wrote, though his words may have been best said by a wise and lonesome fox who spills the secret that ‘it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.’ Even a desert can be beautiful if ‘it hides a well somewhere’ and even silence and loneliness can open up wonderment as ‘through the silence something throbs, and gleams.’To read the beloved classic The Little Prince by French author and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is to experience a refreshment of the heart and soul not unlike the shared joy between the novellas principal characters when they slake their thirst with the cool water from the aforementioned desert well. It is a reminder to see the world through your heart and not just your eyes, to embrace ephemerality to understand the intense beauty that can be found in impermanence, to measure life by what matters to you in order to create meaning, and, most importantly, to hold on to the childlike sense of astonishment and innocence even as the road to adulthood threatens to erode it. There is a deceptive simplicity conjoining a vastness of layered themes and lessons and while The Little Prince is a quick read, it is one with power to last a lifetime as I suspect all of us who have encountered the book have our own Little Prince cozily nestled in our hearts.
The elegant accessibility makes this an incredible children’s classic yet the lessons are just as ripe for adult reading. I’d go so far as to say it is arguably more valuable for adults who hope to find Yeat’s magic in the everyday because, as we learn, ‘only the children know what they are looking for,’ and Saint-Exupéry’s whimsical adventure lights the lamp of our inner childhood and reminds us to cultivate and keep the flame alive. And so this tale of two adventurers lost a long way from home in the Sahara desert transcends its themes of loneliness, overcoming adversity, and searching for meaning to become, like the titular Prince himself, a literary companion to show us the magic of life revealed only to those who look with their heart. But, dear reader, is the spirit of childhood still alive within you?
‘Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.’
As I began The Little Prince I wondered if the child self who first read it many years ago would still recognize me. Would they even like me? Would they bristle that, despite having loved this story, I grew up anyways? Or would they understand that the childhood caverns of wonderment and aspirations that towered like mountains have dissolved into the drabness of dry logic, labor, math, and money of the adult world. ‘it is such a mysterious place, the land of tears’ Saint-Exupéry writes and what better name for the landscape of adulthood and overgrowth of responsibilities and sorrows. Like the narrator says ‘Perhaps I am a little like the grown-ups. I have had to grow old.’ The test is, as adult readers, if we open our hearts to gaze at the world will we still see the child inside us? Truthfully the narrator’s opening monologue disparaging his time with adults rang true in my heart and I too bemoan the loss of imagination that is shed along with the loss of innocence:
I suppose the ending becomes a sort of litmus test, do we interpret it as the cold, somber logic of adulthood as a euphemism masking a loss or, in the spirit of childhood glee, do we accept the magical answer? If we don’t, do we wonder why readily accepted the Little Prince tending to his star and anthropomorphic flower yet draw the line at possible death?
As far as the cold logic of adulthood goes, I’ve long been fascinated by Saint-Exupéry’s life and the real-world inspirations behind this novel. Even ordinary reality can blossom into a bloom of imagination if we look with our hearts, and Saint-Exupéry certainly understood his own assignment. The narrator’s ordeal in the Sahara is not unlike Saint-Exupéry’s experience in 1935 when he and co-pilot André Prévot crashed in the Sahara while attempting to break the speed record for a Paris-to-Saigon flight during an air race. The pair survived extreme thirst and hallucinations, events he would detail in his 1939 book Wind, Sand and Stars.
Saint-Exupéry next to his downed plane in the Sahara
Some of the biggest lessons in the novel also come from those close to Saint-Exupéry, such as the theory that the novella’s oft quoted line about seeing with the heart came from his close friend, Silvia Hamilton Reinhardt, who was also the model for the fox. The Prince’s words about his body being merely a shell was inspired by the dying word’s of Saint-Exupéry’s brother François who reassured Antoine saying “Don't worry. I'm all right. I can't help it. It's my body." His own wife, Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry also comes alive in the novel through his imagination as the inspiration for the Prince’s rose, who essentially sets the novel in motion when the Prince is so irked by her that he sets off exploring. Yet the biggest parallel between life and novel is one the author could not have predicted as, like the Prince vanishing without a trace, Saint-Exupéry disappeared during a reconnaissance flight in 1944. The wreckage of his plane was not located for 56 years but his body has never been found and there is still no answers to how the crash occurred.
‘The thing that is important is the thing that is not seen.’
In the spirit of meaning being something beyond the scope of mere vision, The Little Prince is teeming with sharp symbolism. My adult mind was able to decode these in ways I hadn’t as a youth, yet in the vast imagination of childhood nothing was missed when accepting them at their whimsical face value. The Baobab trees which plague the Prince and become his daily chore in order for them to not grow too large and choke off his planet are often interpreted by critics as a metaphor for fascism growing across Europe and suddenly becoming too big a problem before anyone realized. The trees, however, can certainly be read in a more general level of vices or obsessions that can grow into problems if left unchecked, such as the drunkard’s alcoholism (one of my favorite parts of the story is the drunkard saying he is drinking to forget that he is a drinker) or the business man’s obsession with counting stars. Though most endearing is the symbolism of the well, something that is valued less for it’s life-saving water and more because of the bonding moment between the narrator and the Prince, laughing together as they quench their thirst.
‘It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are indeed a man of true wisdom.’
Loneliness permeates the novel, which arrives in rather soft, melancholy tones in contrast to the bright imaginative qualities of the story. Each planet the Prince visits is inhabited by a single being who are engaged in more “grown up” tasks, some so caught up they are unaware of their own loneliness. While my favorite of them is the lamplighter, there is a lot to read into from each of these characters such as the critique of unbridled capitalism we see in the businessman where his striving for wealth appears as comically illogical, or the geographer who disregards the ephemeral and pains the Prince by thereby disregarding his rose. With each we see the dilemmas of adulthood that ‘no one is ever satisfied where he is.’
The rose is a central figure to the novel, at first a nuisance but then an image of the beloved for the Prince who realizes that ‘I was too young to know how to love her,’ in the early stages of the novel but comes to realize her value. The tragedy in life is how often it is we don’t realize the value of what we had until we are far away down the road of life.
‘One runs the risk of weeping a little, if one lets himself be tamed.’
At the story’s outset, the Prince is in search of truth. Much like many of us are. Yet as his adventure progresses he realizes that truth is not as important as what is ‘essential,’ and, as he learns from the fox ‘what is essential is invisible to the eye.’ The lies told by the rose bother him, yet eventually he comes to understand that the lies—or lack of truth—aren’t what truly matters but that the time he spent with her has made her matter to him.
This is the real heart of the novel and it approaches existential musing as the Prince’s travels and learning to live outside his comfort zone and experience new things teaches him that we create meaning by discovering what matters to us. The Prince is justified in caring for the Rose and spending time on her because she matters and therefore is meaningful.
The Prince learns this is how relationships are formed, which the Fox refers to as being ‘tamed,’ and it threads lives together through mutual care. Throughout reading the book one could argue our familiarity with the Prince has mutually tamed one another, which only adds further emotional weight to the ending as absence of those we love bring sorrow. But that bond changes us, changes how we engage with the world, and allows us to witness existence through our hearts and not just our eyes. We see life through imagination and possibility.
Through our eyes we just see stars twinkling in the sky. But to the narrator, tamed by the Prince, through his heart he hears the stars laughing. And we, too, can share in this joy if we choose to see with our hearts.
‘The proof that the little prince existed is that he was charming, that he laughed, and that he was looking for a sheep. If anybody wants a sheep, that is a proof that he exists.’
We, too, can see the magic in the mundane and find meaning in what matters to us if we open our hearts to the lessons of The Little Prince. We may have grown up, or are still in the process of doing so, but by keeping the Prince in our heart we keep the joy of childish wonder alive. And if on a clear night we gaze up at the stars we too may hear the pleasant laugh of the Prince shining down upon us. If there is such a thing as a perfect book, this is certainly one of them.
5/5
‘I wonder,” he said, “whether the stars are set alight in heaven so that one day each one of us may find his own again…’
The elegant accessibility makes this an incredible children’s classic yet the lessons are just as ripe for adult reading. I’d go so far as to say it is arguably more valuable for adults who hope to find Yeat’s magic in the everyday because, as we learn, ‘only the children know what they are looking for,’ and Saint-Exupéry’s whimsical adventure lights the lamp of our inner childhood and reminds us to cultivate and keep the flame alive. And so this tale of two adventurers lost a long way from home in the Sahara desert transcends its themes of loneliness, overcoming adversity, and searching for meaning to become, like the titular Prince himself, a literary companion to show us the magic of life revealed only to those who look with their heart. But, dear reader, is the spirit of childhood still alive within you?
‘Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.’
As I began The Little Prince I wondered if the child self who first read it many years ago would still recognize me. Would they even like me? Would they bristle that, despite having loved this story, I grew up anyways? Or would they understand that the childhood caverns of wonderment and aspirations that towered like mountains have dissolved into the drabness of dry logic, labor, math, and money of the adult world. ‘it is such a mysterious place, the land of tears’ Saint-Exupéry writes and what better name for the landscape of adulthood and overgrowth of responsibilities and sorrows. Like the narrator says ‘Perhaps I am a little like the grown-ups. I have had to grow old.’ The test is, as adult readers, if we open our hearts to gaze at the world will we still see the child inside us? Truthfully the narrator’s opening monologue disparaging his time with adults rang true in my heart and I too bemoan the loss of imagination that is shed along with the loss of innocence:
‘In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence. I have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn't much improved my opinion of them.’
I suppose the ending becomes a sort of litmus test, do we interpret it as the cold, somber logic of adulthood as a euphemism masking a loss or, in the spirit of childhood glee, do we accept the magical answer? If we don’t, do we wonder why readily accepted the Little Prince tending to his star and anthropomorphic flower yet draw the line at possible death?
As far as the cold logic of adulthood goes, I’ve long been fascinated by Saint-Exupéry’s life and the real-world inspirations behind this novel. Even ordinary reality can blossom into a bloom of imagination if we look with our hearts, and Saint-Exupéry certainly understood his own assignment. The narrator’s ordeal in the Sahara is not unlike Saint-Exupéry’s experience in 1935 when he and co-pilot André Prévot crashed in the Sahara while attempting to break the speed record for a Paris-to-Saigon flight during an air race. The pair survived extreme thirst and hallucinations, events he would detail in his 1939 book Wind, Sand and Stars.
Saint-Exupéry next to his downed plane in the Sahara
Some of the biggest lessons in the novel also come from those close to Saint-Exupéry, such as the theory that the novella’s oft quoted line about seeing with the heart came from his close friend, Silvia Hamilton Reinhardt, who was also the model for the fox. The Prince’s words about his body being merely a shell was inspired by the dying word’s of Saint-Exupéry’s brother François who reassured Antoine saying “Don't worry. I'm all right. I can't help it. It's my body." His own wife, Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry also comes alive in the novel through his imagination as the inspiration for the Prince’s rose, who essentially sets the novel in motion when the Prince is so irked by her that he sets off exploring. Yet the biggest parallel between life and novel is one the author could not have predicted as, like the Prince vanishing without a trace, Saint-Exupéry disappeared during a reconnaissance flight in 1944. The wreckage of his plane was not located for 56 years but his body has never been found and there is still no answers to how the crash occurred.
‘The thing that is important is the thing that is not seen.’
In the spirit of meaning being something beyond the scope of mere vision, The Little Prince is teeming with sharp symbolism. My adult mind was able to decode these in ways I hadn’t as a youth, yet in the vast imagination of childhood nothing was missed when accepting them at their whimsical face value. The Baobab trees which plague the Prince and become his daily chore in order for them to not grow too large and choke off his planet are often interpreted by critics as a metaphor for fascism growing across Europe and suddenly becoming too big a problem before anyone realized. The trees, however, can certainly be read in a more general level of vices or obsessions that can grow into problems if left unchecked, such as the drunkard’s alcoholism (one of my favorite parts of the story is the drunkard saying he is drinking to forget that he is a drinker) or the business man’s obsession with counting stars. Though most endearing is the symbolism of the well, something that is valued less for it’s life-saving water and more because of the bonding moment between the narrator and the Prince, laughing together as they quench their thirst.
‘It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are indeed a man of true wisdom.’
Loneliness permeates the novel, which arrives in rather soft, melancholy tones in contrast to the bright imaginative qualities of the story. Each planet the Prince visits is inhabited by a single being who are engaged in more “grown up” tasks, some so caught up they are unaware of their own loneliness. While my favorite of them is the lamplighter, there is a lot to read into from each of these characters such as the critique of unbridled capitalism we see in the businessman where his striving for wealth appears as comically illogical, or the geographer who disregards the ephemeral and pains the Prince by thereby disregarding his rose. With each we see the dilemmas of adulthood that ‘no one is ever satisfied where he is.’
The rose is a central figure to the novel, at first a nuisance but then an image of the beloved for the Prince who realizes that ‘I was too young to know how to love her,’ in the early stages of the novel but comes to realize her value. The tragedy in life is how often it is we don’t realize the value of what we had until we are far away down the road of life.
‘One runs the risk of weeping a little, if one lets himself be tamed.’
At the story’s outset, the Prince is in search of truth. Much like many of us are. Yet as his adventure progresses he realizes that truth is not as important as what is ‘essential,’ and, as he learns from the fox ‘what is essential is invisible to the eye.’ The lies told by the rose bother him, yet eventually he comes to understand that the lies—or lack of truth—aren’t what truly matters but that the time he spent with her has made her matter to him.
‘It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.’
This is the real heart of the novel and it approaches existential musing as the Prince’s travels and learning to live outside his comfort zone and experience new things teaches him that we create meaning by discovering what matters to us. The Prince is justified in caring for the Rose and spending time on her because she matters and therefore is meaningful.
‘But you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed. You’re responsible for your rose.’
The Prince learns this is how relationships are formed, which the Fox refers to as being ‘tamed,’ and it threads lives together through mutual care. Throughout reading the book one could argue our familiarity with the Prince has mutually tamed one another, which only adds further emotional weight to the ending as absence of those we love bring sorrow. But that bond changes us, changes how we engage with the world, and allows us to witness existence through our hearts and not just our eyes. We see life through imagination and possibility.
‘A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.’
Through our eyes we just see stars twinkling in the sky. But to the narrator, tamed by the Prince, through his heart he hears the stars laughing. And we, too, can share in this joy if we choose to see with our hearts.
‘The proof that the little prince existed is that he was charming, that he laughed, and that he was looking for a sheep. If anybody wants a sheep, that is a proof that he exists.’
We, too, can see the magic in the mundane and find meaning in what matters to us if we open our hearts to the lessons of The Little Prince. We may have grown up, or are still in the process of doing so, but by keeping the Prince in our heart we keep the joy of childish wonder alive. And if on a clear night we gaze up at the stars we too may hear the pleasant laugh of the Prince shining down upon us. If there is such a thing as a perfect book, this is certainly one of them.
5/5
‘I wonder,” he said, “whether the stars are set alight in heaven so that one day each one of us may find his own again…’
April 3, 2019
The Little Prince is the one book of my childhood that truly wrecked me. Wrecked me, irrevocably.
It is the one story that I swore I'd never read again.
I didn't. I hadn't. I never read it to my son, either.
Then, last week, my middle child, my oldest daughter, discovered the 2015 film of it, and came to me, sobbing, and said, “Mommy, you've just got to watch this movie. It's so beautiful.”
I did. I watched it. It was a good movie, but, as usual, they added parts, they took away parts, they created violence where it wasn't necessary, etc. So, purist that I am, I marched into the library, checked out the book and told my girls, “If you're going to know a story, then learn the original version.”
My hands were shaking this weekend, as I cracked the cover to read it, and the first thing I did was read the backflap, where I was reminded that the author himself went missing a year after the book was published in 1943. I immediately pictured Antoine De Saint-Exupery in his little airplane, crashing somewhere, alone, in the Mediterranean Sea. Pretty disturbing, if you know the premise of this fictional story. The tears started early.
I don't know what it is about these desert stories, but they wreck me, every time. I have never cried harder than after watching Ralph Fiennes in that red airplane, flying over the desert in The English Patient, or after meeting Claudia, in Moon Tiger, and realizing what she has lost, what she will never find again, in those desert sands.
The desert seems to magnify desolation, naturally, by its isolation. It can be a setting for great reflection, great stories, and even greater loss. And, it is here in this desert setting that our crashed pilot meets the little prince, whose life experiences illuminate almost every important lesson we could learn in a lifetime.
Of course I was crying again, but in a good way.
I could just sit here, adding quote after quote from this book on this review. I could advise all men that everything they need to know about women is available to them in the passages between the little prince and the rose. I could advise all parents of young children that this is one of those rare books that reminds you how precious and fleeting your time is with your kids.
But, “language is the source of misunderstandings,” and I'd be better served to invite you to crash in the desert yourself. See if the little prince shows up to speak to you. See what he has to say.
It is the one story that I swore I'd never read again.
I didn't. I hadn't. I never read it to my son, either.
Then, last week, my middle child, my oldest daughter, discovered the 2015 film of it, and came to me, sobbing, and said, “Mommy, you've just got to watch this movie. It's so beautiful.”
I did. I watched it. It was a good movie, but, as usual, they added parts, they took away parts, they created violence where it wasn't necessary, etc. So, purist that I am, I marched into the library, checked out the book and told my girls, “If you're going to know a story, then learn the original version.”
My hands were shaking this weekend, as I cracked the cover to read it, and the first thing I did was read the backflap, where I was reminded that the author himself went missing a year after the book was published in 1943. I immediately pictured Antoine De Saint-Exupery in his little airplane, crashing somewhere, alone, in the Mediterranean Sea. Pretty disturbing, if you know the premise of this fictional story. The tears started early.
I don't know what it is about these desert stories, but they wreck me, every time. I have never cried harder than after watching Ralph Fiennes in that red airplane, flying over the desert in The English Patient, or after meeting Claudia, in Moon Tiger, and realizing what she has lost, what she will never find again, in those desert sands.
The desert seems to magnify desolation, naturally, by its isolation. It can be a setting for great reflection, great stories, and even greater loss. And, it is here in this desert setting that our crashed pilot meets the little prince, whose life experiences illuminate almost every important lesson we could learn in a lifetime.
Of course I was crying again, but in a good way.
I could just sit here, adding quote after quote from this book on this review. I could advise all men that everything they need to know about women is available to them in the passages between the little prince and the rose. I could advise all parents of young children that this is one of those rare books that reminds you how precious and fleeting your time is with your kids.
But, “language is the source of misunderstandings,” and I'd be better served to invite you to crash in the desert yourself. See if the little prince shows up to speak to you. See what he has to say.
February 21, 2013
كتاب لذيذ، شهي، عذب، لامسني في أعمق شغافي، في طفولتي. فتنني وعشقته، يندرُ أن أقبّل كتبي - إذ يجب التحفظ قليلا مع هذه الكائنات - ولكنني قبلتُ هذا الأمير الصغير، وردته ونجمته وبراكينه الخامدة، قبلته في قلبه.
عودوا أطفالاً هنا :)
December 5, 2011
A "Daddy/Daughter nighttime reading hour" review
This was a toughy for me to review. I wasn't sure of the best perspective from which to provide comments so as to be of assistance to my fellow readers since this is a children's book (rather than YA which would be reviewed purely on its own merits). After a short session of "what should I do," I bravely decided to punt, figuring that there are already more than enough excellent reviews of this without my clogging up the cyber arteries with another one. Therefore, I decided simply to share my experience of reading/listening to the book with my daughter along with a couple of thoughts on the concepts discussed in the story and hope that you can take something useful from it.
So as part of our nightly routine, my youngest daughter, Sydney, and I have daddy/princess read time. The other night, she and I listened to the audio version of The Little Prince while we read along with a copy of the book. As usual, it was an AMAZING experience. I am convinced that I learn more about the stories we read from her and her reactions to the narrative than she does from me...and I love it.
It's only a two hour audio (86 pages) and yet the two of us spent close to 4 hours listening and talking about the various chapters in the story (plus a brief 15 minute break for Mom to give her a bath while Dad helped big sister Kenzie with her math homework). Sydney had all kinds of questions (some just hysterically funny in how much sense they made from a kid-centric view of the world). We would stop the story after each planet or character to talk about what she thought the story meant and what messages the story was trying to deliver.
For those of you with children, you know how wonderful this can be and I was on the ninth cloud watching my little girl ponder over the book.
From this perspective, the story was perfect and deserves an easy 5 stars. However, since it's not very helpful to rate a book based on that kind of non-transferable experience, I didn't want to rely solely on that for its final rating.
After explaining to Syd the goodreads star system, she would give this 4 stars as she really liked the British accent of the narrator and the crazy adventures the Prince experiences on the various planets. BTW, from Sydney's point of view, 4 stars is the absolute ceiling for any book dealing with ickies like boys and this would easily earn 5 stars had the story been called the "The Little Princess." Princes are still second class citizens at this stage in her life...and Dad is oh, oh, OH so perfectly fine with that).
For me, looking at this sans Sydney, I liked it but was not smitten with it enough to go higher than 3 stars. The story is well written and has something to say about the human condition and how people spend too much of their lives focusing on the wrong things and not enough time enjoying where they are. A nice message and one I was happy to expose Sydney to, but I was not always enamored with the path the author took to get there.
Overall, a good read on its own and a potentially a great experience if shared with your children...as most things in life are.
3.5 stars.
This was a toughy for me to review. I wasn't sure of the best perspective from which to provide comments so as to be of assistance to my fellow readers since this is a children's book (rather than YA which would be reviewed purely on its own merits). After a short session of "what should I do," I bravely decided to punt, figuring that there are already more than enough excellent reviews of this without my clogging up the cyber arteries with another one. Therefore, I decided simply to share my experience of reading/listening to the book with my daughter along with a couple of thoughts on the concepts discussed in the story and hope that you can take something useful from it.
So as part of our nightly routine, my youngest daughter, Sydney, and I have daddy/princess read time. The other night, she and I listened to the audio version of The Little Prince while we read along with a copy of the book. As usual, it was an AMAZING experience. I am convinced that I learn more about the stories we read from her and her reactions to the narrative than she does from me...and I love it.
It's only a two hour audio (86 pages) and yet the two of us spent close to 4 hours listening and talking about the various chapters in the story (plus a brief 15 minute break for Mom to give her a bath while Dad helped big sister Kenzie with her math homework). Sydney had all kinds of questions (some just hysterically funny in how much sense they made from a kid-centric view of the world). We would stop the story after each planet or character to talk about what she thought the story meant and what messages the story was trying to deliver.
For those of you with children, you know how wonderful this can be and I was on the ninth cloud watching my little girl ponder over the book.
From this perspective, the story was perfect and deserves an easy 5 stars. However, since it's not very helpful to rate a book based on that kind of non-transferable experience, I didn't want to rely solely on that for its final rating.
After explaining to Syd the goodreads star system, she would give this 4 stars as she really liked the British accent of the narrator and the crazy adventures the Prince experiences on the various planets. BTW, from Sydney's point of view, 4 stars is the absolute ceiling for any book dealing with ickies like boys and this would easily earn 5 stars had the story been called the "The Little Princess." Princes are still second class citizens at this stage in her life...and Dad is oh, oh, OH so perfectly fine with that).
For me, looking at this sans Sydney, I liked it but was not smitten with it enough to go higher than 3 stars. The story is well written and has something to say about the human condition and how people spend too much of their lives focusing on the wrong things and not enough time enjoying where they are. A nice message and one I was happy to expose Sydney to, but I was not always enamored with the path the author took to get there.
Overall, a good read on its own and a potentially a great experience if shared with your children...as most things in life are.
3.5 stars.
February 24, 2021
Uno de los peores libros que he leído en mi vida, experiencia desastrosa.
Calificación real: 0
El principito, al igual que otros libros de la misma temática que buscan ayudarnos a conectarnos con nuestro niño interior, es una de esas obras que se recomiendan leer en nuestra infancia pero sobretodo en nuestra adultez. Cuando somos niños no tenemos responsabilidades, jugamos todo el tiempo y nos la pasamos descubriendo el mundo que nos rodea —o por lo menos si hemos tenido la fortuna de vivir una buena infancia—; pero, cuando nos convertimos en adultos y nos acostumbramos a ese tipo de vida, tarde que temprano llegará el momento en que nos sentiremos atrapados en la cotidianidad, estresados por los millones de problemas que se presentan diariamente, y angustiados por lo que puede deparar nuestro futuro. Y claro, si estamos en ese estado de lamentación, libros como El principito —al igual que los libros de autoayuda— aparecen como la cura milagrosa de nuestros problemas y de la infelicidad que sentimos día tras día. Y no es que eso sea negativo, al contrario, independientemente de si nos gusta, o no leer, los libros son nuestros amigos. Si uno de ellos te ayuda a sentir paz interior o felicidad significará que ese libro es apropiado para ti, sin importar su calidad. Personalmente, pienso que esa ha sido la razón para que El principito tuviera el éxito y la popularidad de la que ha gozado a lo largo de los años: La infelicidad de sus lectores. Sin embargo, si somos neutrales y calificamos este libro por su calidad y no por nuestra emotividad, entenderemos que verdaderamente El principito es un libro pésimo en todo el sentido de la palabra.
Mi experiencia con este libro comenzó a los nueve años cuando cursaba quinto de primaria. Era el mes de junio y como todo niño ansiaba la llegada de las vacaciones de mitad de año para no tener que madrugar por algunos días. Y sí, claro que llegaron las vacaciones, pero lo hicieron en compañía de varios trabajos largos y tediosos que debía entregar una vez regresara a clases. Uno de esos trabajos constaba en leer El principito y realizar un resumen de cuatro páginas en hojas tamaño carta: Parecía un trabajo fácil. No obstante, mi dolor de cabeza comenzó, cuando terminé de leerlo y me percaté de que no había entendido absolutamente nada, a pesar de que era un buen estudiante y entendía rápidamente cualquier tema. Me sentí desesperado porque ya no disponía de tiempo de releerlo, pero, afortunadamente mis hermanos me vieron en apuros y me ayudaron a resolver mi problema... de hecho, ellos me hicieron la tarea. Días después, recibí una buena nota por «mi» trabajo pero internamente me sentí mediocre por no ser capaz de hacer esa tarea. Pasó el tiempo y olvidé el tema, pero, en lo más profundo de mi subconsciente sobrevivió el sentimiento de fracaso. Por ello, en el mes de diciembre cuando misteriosamente una polilla entró revoloteando en mi habitación y se posó en el libro de El principito, sentí que era tiempo de la revancha: Había sido una señal del destino. Dicen que todo tiene su tiempo y este libro es la clara demostración de esa afirmación porque tuvieron que pasar dieciocho años y una polilla para reencontrarme con uno de los karmas de mi infancia. Más sin embargo, lo que no esperaba era que en esta ocasión, otra experiencia negativa me estuviera esperando entre las páginas de El principito.
Empezando por el argumento, este libro nos cuenta la historia de un aviador quien afirma haber conocido al principito luego de sufrir un accidente aéreo en el desierto del Sahara. Allí, el principito le cuenta la historia de su viaje por muchos planetas, y luego cuando llega el momento dado, el principito regresa a su planeta de origen para cuidar a su mejor amiga que es una rosa... y esa es toda la historia, no hay más. Los cuentos de fantasía muchas veces son así como El principito: Sin lógica, sin reglas y sin profundidad. No obstante, una de las características más destacadas de ese tipo de libros es la magia que está oculta en sus palabras. Desafortunadamente, esa magia nunca la sentí en este libro. Ahora, pensarán que ya me convertí en adulto y que por ello no puedo entender el significado del libro, pero no, eso no es así. Si no estuviera conectado con mi niño interior no sería capaz de escribir ni un párrafo al hacer reseñas. Mi mente adulta está cargada de compromisos, apariencias, problemas, lógica, razonamiento, etc., pero ese niño interior es quien tiene la chispa de la creatividad, de la imaginación, de relacionar dos temas sin sentido como por ejemplo una cuchara y el planeta júpiter. Es el alma que me da la energía y la curiosidad, y gracias a él me siento vivo. Por ello, ese pequeño Jesús Steven que llevo adentro, es el que me ha indicado que este libro no tiene magia por ninguna parte. Asimismo, es un texto que está atiborrado de diálogos absurdos y de mensajes erróneamente expresados que buscan hacernos reflexionar forzosamente. La prosa tiene errores gramaticales, frases mal construidas y todo el libro está compuesto de un caótico desorden. Sé que hay millones de seguidores de esta obra y que para muchos este es su libro favorito, pero para mí, sinceramente, lo mejor que tiene esta obra son sus ilustraciones. Esto no es un libro, es un boceto. Estoy seguro que Antoine de Saint-Exupéry fue mil veces mejor aviador que escritor.
Eso sí, aclaro que no estoy en contra de las historias donde un niño aparece mágicamente para dar mensajes y enseñanzas. No lo estoy, porque uno de mis libros favoritos tiene un 90% de similitud con El principito: Ese libro se llama Ami, el niño de las estrellas. De hecho, conocí aquel libro primero que El principito, y aunque reconozco que es una copia del popular libro de Saint-Exupéry, siento que aquella obra de Enrique Barrios ofrece una mejor enseñanza. Esa enseñanza se llama amor. Lo que me parece injusto es que Ami, el niño de las estrellas, sea criticado fuertemente por el intento del autor de influenciar a los niños en la religión —afirmación que no comparto—, pero, de El principito no se menciona nada de ello. Si los libros de autoayuda, los textos religiosos y los libros con algún fin político son cuestionados por la manipulación del autor, entonces El principito también debería ser juzgado del mismo modo porque todo el texto está plagado de ese tipo de ideas. La domesticación; su intento de hacer sentir mal a las personas que no les gusta este libro; la idolatría representada en la forma como el aviador veía al principito; el uso del fracaso como medio para identificarnos con el aviador; pero sobretodo, el desagrado u odio que sentía Saint-Exupéry hacia la vida adulta, son solo pequeñas muestras de su intento por influenciar a los lectores para que no se adapten a una sociedad. A Saint-Exupéry no le interesaba que los lectores lucharan por sus sueños, su verdadera intención es que las personas estuvieran en contra de la sociedad porque la odiaba, es muy notable. Este libro solo es un mensaje de odio disfrazado de inocencia, amor, amistad, ternura y belleza. Solo es un libro más que busca alterar la forma como el lector piensa. ¿Por qué tantos lo aclaman y no se dan cuenta de algo tan obvio? No lo entiendo.
Tampoco sentí simpatía por los personajes. El principito solo me pareció un niño ingenuo y preguntón que no entiende nada de la vida, pero que sí se atreve a cuestionar y juzgar el comportamiento de los hombres, sin conocerlos. Esa situación se asemejaría por ejemplo, si viajáramos a un país con una cultura muy diferente a la nuestra, y al llegar empezáramos a juzgar y criticar a los habitantes del lugar por sus comportamientos, creencias y vestimenta: Sería ilógico juzgarlos. Sí, podríamos opinar, pero solo conociendo las razones que han llevado a esos seres a vivir la vida que poseen. El principito puede venir de Mercurio, de Plutón o de la constelación de Andrómeda, pero él, no es nadie para venir a criticar a seres que no conoce. Vivía con una rosa y se hartó de ella, no es una sorpresa que al llegar a otros mundos se comportara de la misma manera. Sin embargo, podría decirse que al fin y al cabo el principito es un niño y que es normal su imprudencia y tendencia a equivocarse; pero, el que no tiene excusa es el aviador: Él es el culpable de todo. El aviador encontró un niño en un desierto y solo porque él tenía imaginación, resultó idolatrándolo como un dios: Ilógico, completamente ilógico. Todo lo que dijo el principito al aviador le pareció espectacular, mágico y sabio; tanto así, que para el aviador se convirtió en una necesidad estar cerca de él. Yo, creería, que perderse en un desierto y estar en riesgo de muerte, puede alterar nuestra mente por lo que esa sería la explicación al comportamiento inusual del aviador. Para mí, el aviador perdió la cordura. El principito solo era un niño común y corriente, sin ninguna habilidad extraordinaria. Quizás nunca existió, quizás solo fue producto de la imaginación del aviador. Si eso fuera así, eso lo explicaría todo.
Viéndolo de este modo, y teorizando un poco, podría decirse que si se toma El principito como la historia de un demente, entonces este libro sí sería una genialidad. La mala redacción, las frases sin sentido y la historia absurda, solo así tendrían sentido. ¿Qué fue lo que realmente Saint-Exupéry escribió? ¿Hemos estado malinterpretando todo este tiempo esta historia? Para averiguarlo tendríamos que regresar en el tiempo y preguntárselo en persona a Saint-Exupéry, no hay otra forma; por lo tanto, que cada quien crea lo que desee pensar porque no podemos resolver esas preguntas. Sin embargo, esta extraña posibilidad podría convertir este libro en una gran ironía. ¿Por qué? Porque durante varias generaciones este es uno de nuestros primeros libros de la infancia. ¿Hemos leído un libro para niños, o la oscura historia de un demente? No quiero persuadir a nadie con esta idea; de hecho, ni siquiera yo creo en ello, pero es una posibilidad que se me ocurrió en el mismísimo instante en que escribí el párrafo anterior y me pareció interesante compartirla con todos ustedes.
En resumen, El principito es un libro que está orientado para las personas que no están acostumbradas a leer, pero que buscan encontrar en un texto el camino que sienten que han perdido. Si ya se tiene experiencia leyendo, o no estamos desesperados por la infelicidad, es mejor no leer este libro. Puede ser un clásico, pero personalmente siento que no debería serlo por la pobre calidad de la que está compuesto. Asimismo, si leyeron este libro hace mucho tiempo y tienen una imagen positiva del principito, puede que cuando lo relean cambie la perspectiva y sensaciones que tuvieron en su primera lectura; a menos, que este libro los haya ayudado en sus momentos difíciles. De ser así, a pesar de releerlo mil veces, El principito siempre será un gran amigo para ustedes.
Ahora, basándome en mis dos lecturas y las experiencias desastrosas que he vivenciado, siento que no hay razón para volver a leer este libro nunca más. Cuando recién finalicé mi segunda lectura, planeaba puntuarlo con dos estrellas, pero ahora que lo pienso eso no es justo. Hay libros que he calificado con esa puntuación pero por lo menos tienen virtudes para destacar. No puedo puntuar con dos estrellas un libro donde lo más destacado son sus ilustraciones: Sería un desatino hacerlo. Por lo tanto, mi calificación es de 0 estrellas.
Calificación real: 0
El principito, al igual que otros libros de la misma temática que buscan ayudarnos a conectarnos con nuestro niño interior, es una de esas obras que se recomiendan leer en nuestra infancia pero sobretodo en nuestra adultez. Cuando somos niños no tenemos responsabilidades, jugamos todo el tiempo y nos la pasamos descubriendo el mundo que nos rodea —o por lo menos si hemos tenido la fortuna de vivir una buena infancia—; pero, cuando nos convertimos en adultos y nos acostumbramos a ese tipo de vida, tarde que temprano llegará el momento en que nos sentiremos atrapados en la cotidianidad, estresados por los millones de problemas que se presentan diariamente, y angustiados por lo que puede deparar nuestro futuro. Y claro, si estamos en ese estado de lamentación, libros como El principito —al igual que los libros de autoayuda— aparecen como la cura milagrosa de nuestros problemas y de la infelicidad que sentimos día tras día. Y no es que eso sea negativo, al contrario, independientemente de si nos gusta, o no leer, los libros son nuestros amigos. Si uno de ellos te ayuda a sentir paz interior o felicidad significará que ese libro es apropiado para ti, sin importar su calidad. Personalmente, pienso que esa ha sido la razón para que El principito tuviera el éxito y la popularidad de la que ha gozado a lo largo de los años: La infelicidad de sus lectores. Sin embargo, si somos neutrales y calificamos este libro por su calidad y no por nuestra emotividad, entenderemos que verdaderamente El principito es un libro pésimo en todo el sentido de la palabra.
Mi experiencia con este libro comenzó a los nueve años cuando cursaba quinto de primaria. Era el mes de junio y como todo niño ansiaba la llegada de las vacaciones de mitad de año para no tener que madrugar por algunos días. Y sí, claro que llegaron las vacaciones, pero lo hicieron en compañía de varios trabajos largos y tediosos que debía entregar una vez regresara a clases. Uno de esos trabajos constaba en leer El principito y realizar un resumen de cuatro páginas en hojas tamaño carta: Parecía un trabajo fácil. No obstante, mi dolor de cabeza comenzó, cuando terminé de leerlo y me percaté de que no había entendido absolutamente nada, a pesar de que era un buen estudiante y entendía rápidamente cualquier tema. Me sentí desesperado porque ya no disponía de tiempo de releerlo, pero, afortunadamente mis hermanos me vieron en apuros y me ayudaron a resolver mi problema... de hecho, ellos me hicieron la tarea. Días después, recibí una buena nota por «mi» trabajo pero internamente me sentí mediocre por no ser capaz de hacer esa tarea. Pasó el tiempo y olvidé el tema, pero, en lo más profundo de mi subconsciente sobrevivió el sentimiento de fracaso. Por ello, en el mes de diciembre cuando misteriosamente una polilla entró revoloteando en mi habitación y se posó en el libro de El principito, sentí que era tiempo de la revancha: Había sido una señal del destino. Dicen que todo tiene su tiempo y este libro es la clara demostración de esa afirmación porque tuvieron que pasar dieciocho años y una polilla para reencontrarme con uno de los karmas de mi infancia. Más sin embargo, lo que no esperaba era que en esta ocasión, otra experiencia negativa me estuviera esperando entre las páginas de El principito.
Empezando por el argumento, este libro nos cuenta la historia de un aviador quien afirma haber conocido al principito luego de sufrir un accidente aéreo en el desierto del Sahara. Allí, el principito le cuenta la historia de su viaje por muchos planetas, y luego cuando llega el momento dado, el principito regresa a su planeta de origen para cuidar a su mejor amiga que es una rosa... y esa es toda la historia, no hay más. Los cuentos de fantasía muchas veces son así como El principito: Sin lógica, sin reglas y sin profundidad. No obstante, una de las características más destacadas de ese tipo de libros es la magia que está oculta en sus palabras. Desafortunadamente, esa magia nunca la sentí en este libro. Ahora, pensarán que ya me convertí en adulto y que por ello no puedo entender el significado del libro, pero no, eso no es así. Si no estuviera conectado con mi niño interior no sería capaz de escribir ni un párrafo al hacer reseñas. Mi mente adulta está cargada de compromisos, apariencias, problemas, lógica, razonamiento, etc., pero ese niño interior es quien tiene la chispa de la creatividad, de la imaginación, de relacionar dos temas sin sentido como por ejemplo una cuchara y el planeta júpiter. Es el alma que me da la energía y la curiosidad, y gracias a él me siento vivo. Por ello, ese pequeño Jesús Steven que llevo adentro, es el que me ha indicado que este libro no tiene magia por ninguna parte. Asimismo, es un texto que está atiborrado de diálogos absurdos y de mensajes erróneamente expresados que buscan hacernos reflexionar forzosamente. La prosa tiene errores gramaticales, frases mal construidas y todo el libro está compuesto de un caótico desorden. Sé que hay millones de seguidores de esta obra y que para muchos este es su libro favorito, pero para mí, sinceramente, lo mejor que tiene esta obra son sus ilustraciones. Esto no es un libro, es un boceto. Estoy seguro que Antoine de Saint-Exupéry fue mil veces mejor aviador que escritor.
Eso sí, aclaro que no estoy en contra de las historias donde un niño aparece mágicamente para dar mensajes y enseñanzas. No lo estoy, porque uno de mis libros favoritos tiene un 90% de similitud con El principito: Ese libro se llama Ami, el niño de las estrellas. De hecho, conocí aquel libro primero que El principito, y aunque reconozco que es una copia del popular libro de Saint-Exupéry, siento que aquella obra de Enrique Barrios ofrece una mejor enseñanza. Esa enseñanza se llama amor. Lo que me parece injusto es que Ami, el niño de las estrellas, sea criticado fuertemente por el intento del autor de influenciar a los niños en la religión —afirmación que no comparto—, pero, de El principito no se menciona nada de ello. Si los libros de autoayuda, los textos religiosos y los libros con algún fin político son cuestionados por la manipulación del autor, entonces El principito también debería ser juzgado del mismo modo porque todo el texto está plagado de ese tipo de ideas. La domesticación; su intento de hacer sentir mal a las personas que no les gusta este libro; la idolatría representada en la forma como el aviador veía al principito; el uso del fracaso como medio para identificarnos con el aviador; pero sobretodo, el desagrado u odio que sentía Saint-Exupéry hacia la vida adulta, son solo pequeñas muestras de su intento por influenciar a los lectores para que no se adapten a una sociedad. A Saint-Exupéry no le interesaba que los lectores lucharan por sus sueños, su verdadera intención es que las personas estuvieran en contra de la sociedad porque la odiaba, es muy notable. Este libro solo es un mensaje de odio disfrazado de inocencia, amor, amistad, ternura y belleza. Solo es un libro más que busca alterar la forma como el lector piensa. ¿Por qué tantos lo aclaman y no se dan cuenta de algo tan obvio? No lo entiendo.
Tampoco sentí simpatía por los personajes. El principito solo me pareció un niño ingenuo y preguntón que no entiende nada de la vida, pero que sí se atreve a cuestionar y juzgar el comportamiento de los hombres, sin conocerlos. Esa situación se asemejaría por ejemplo, si viajáramos a un país con una cultura muy diferente a la nuestra, y al llegar empezáramos a juzgar y criticar a los habitantes del lugar por sus comportamientos, creencias y vestimenta: Sería ilógico juzgarlos. Sí, podríamos opinar, pero solo conociendo las razones que han llevado a esos seres a vivir la vida que poseen. El principito puede venir de Mercurio, de Plutón o de la constelación de Andrómeda, pero él, no es nadie para venir a criticar a seres que no conoce. Vivía con una rosa y se hartó de ella, no es una sorpresa que al llegar a otros mundos se comportara de la misma manera. Sin embargo, podría decirse que al fin y al cabo el principito es un niño y que es normal su imprudencia y tendencia a equivocarse; pero, el que no tiene excusa es el aviador: Él es el culpable de todo. El aviador encontró un niño en un desierto y solo porque él tenía imaginación, resultó idolatrándolo como un dios: Ilógico, completamente ilógico. Todo lo que dijo el principito al aviador le pareció espectacular, mágico y sabio; tanto así, que para el aviador se convirtió en una necesidad estar cerca de él. Yo, creería, que perderse en un desierto y estar en riesgo de muerte, puede alterar nuestra mente por lo que esa sería la explicación al comportamiento inusual del aviador. Para mí, el aviador perdió la cordura. El principito solo era un niño común y corriente, sin ninguna habilidad extraordinaria. Quizás nunca existió, quizás solo fue producto de la imaginación del aviador. Si eso fuera así, eso lo explicaría todo.
Viéndolo de este modo, y teorizando un poco, podría decirse que si se toma El principito como la historia de un demente, entonces este libro sí sería una genialidad. La mala redacción, las frases sin sentido y la historia absurda, solo así tendrían sentido. ¿Qué fue lo que realmente Saint-Exupéry escribió? ¿Hemos estado malinterpretando todo este tiempo esta historia? Para averiguarlo tendríamos que regresar en el tiempo y preguntárselo en persona a Saint-Exupéry, no hay otra forma; por lo tanto, que cada quien crea lo que desee pensar porque no podemos resolver esas preguntas. Sin embargo, esta extraña posibilidad podría convertir este libro en una gran ironía. ¿Por qué? Porque durante varias generaciones este es uno de nuestros primeros libros de la infancia. ¿Hemos leído un libro para niños, o la oscura historia de un demente? No quiero persuadir a nadie con esta idea; de hecho, ni siquiera yo creo en ello, pero es una posibilidad que se me ocurrió en el mismísimo instante en que escribí el párrafo anterior y me pareció interesante compartirla con todos ustedes.
En resumen, El principito es un libro que está orientado para las personas que no están acostumbradas a leer, pero que buscan encontrar en un texto el camino que sienten que han perdido. Si ya se tiene experiencia leyendo, o no estamos desesperados por la infelicidad, es mejor no leer este libro. Puede ser un clásico, pero personalmente siento que no debería serlo por la pobre calidad de la que está compuesto. Asimismo, si leyeron este libro hace mucho tiempo y tienen una imagen positiva del principito, puede que cuando lo relean cambie la perspectiva y sensaciones que tuvieron en su primera lectura; a menos, que este libro los haya ayudado en sus momentos difíciles. De ser así, a pesar de releerlo mil veces, El principito siempre será un gran amigo para ustedes.
Ahora, basándome en mis dos lecturas y las experiencias desastrosas que he vivenciado, siento que no hay razón para volver a leer este libro nunca más. Cuando recién finalicé mi segunda lectura, planeaba puntuarlo con dos estrellas, pero ahora que lo pienso eso no es justo. Hay libros que he calificado con esa puntuación pero por lo menos tienen virtudes para destacar. No puedo puntuar con dos estrellas un libro donde lo más destacado son sus ilustraciones: Sería un desatino hacerlo. Por lo tanto, mi calificación es de 0 estrellas.
October 12, 2021
4th read: October 2021
buddy read with caitlin bunny <3
3rd read: August 2017
2nd read: June 2017
I just can't get over this book. It is absolutely stunning.
This is a book I will continuously re-read throughout my life, and is especially great to read when you are becoming too consumed in the adult world. I'm in my exam period currently, so reading this now was perfect.
I also listened to the audio book for this re-read, and the narrator was perfect for this story (and he is Australian!)
buddy read with caitlin bunny <3
3rd read: August 2017
2nd read: June 2017
I just can't get over this book. It is absolutely stunning.
This is a book I will continuously re-read throughout my life, and is especially great to read when you are becoming too consumed in the adult world. I'm in my exam period currently, so reading this now was perfect.
I also listened to the audio book for this re-read, and the narrator was perfect for this story (and he is Australian!)
December 26, 2025
(A) 85% | Extraordinary
Notes: Sight supplied through child's eyes, a real work of art, on being tamed, views reframed, and looking with your heart.
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary:
Notes: Sight supplied through child's eyes, a real work of art, on being tamed, views reframed, and looking with your heart.
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary:
March 8, 2018
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
I remember, when I was little, I had this round CD case and it contained an audiobook. Now as a child I loved audiobooks, or someone reading stories to me. Still do today, actually. Anyway, the audiobook was titled The Little Prince, and I listened to it quite often. That, however, was at least 10 years ago, possibly more. So I decided that it was time for a reread. (I'm sorry to say that I cannot find the CD anywhere. Maybe my mom gave it away.)
Rereading this brought up nostalgia and melancholia. This is a very cute, very sad book, and I don't like the ending very much. I don't understand why the Prince couldn't just fly back to his planet.
This is a beautiful tale of childhood, love and friendship. One that I wouldn't have wanted to miss.
Find more of my books on Instagram
I remember, when I was little, I had this round CD case and it contained an audiobook. Now as a child I loved audiobooks, or someone reading stories to me. Still do today, actually. Anyway, the audiobook was titled The Little Prince, and I listened to it quite often. That, however, was at least 10 years ago, possibly more. So I decided that it was time for a reread. (I'm sorry to say that I cannot find the CD anywhere. Maybe my mom gave it away.)
Rereading this brought up nostalgia and melancholia. This is a very cute, very sad book, and I don't like the ending very much. I don't understand why the Prince couldn't just fly back to his planet.
This is a beautiful tale of childhood, love and friendship. One that I wouldn't have wanted to miss.
Find more of my books on Instagram
February 23, 2022
2 Stars
I know this is a much loved children's classic that has been published in pretty much every language there is. As such, I'm not pretentious enough to think my thoughts on it matter, so I'll keep this short.
I have challenged myself to read one classic a month this year, and so far, I am failing miserably. MISERABLY, you guys. It's July (almost August, but I'm throwing myself a bone so I feel like less of a loser) and I have only read two. This one and Peter Pan (of which I also completely missed the plot). And yes, I chose both of them because they are short. And geared for children. So I figured they would be easy to read.
Wrong.
I finished Alice in Wonderland on December 28th of 2017 (which I ALSO didn't love), after reading it over the course of almost a full month. If only I had really let my loser truly shine and work for me for once and waited three more days to finish it. Then I would at least be three for seven.
But I digress.
I'm starting to think children's classics might not be for me. At least not these whimsical, nonsensical, fable/allegory-style classics for which I am obviously too uncouth and unintelligent. Or whatever the case may be. Regardless, I am just finding them to be very boring and I just can't get into them.
I'm gonna try Dorian Gray next though. NOT a children's classic. So hopefully I have more luck.
Fingers crossed.
I know this is a much loved children's classic that has been published in pretty much every language there is. As such, I'm not pretentious enough to think my thoughts on it matter, so I'll keep this short.
I have challenged myself to read one classic a month this year, and so far, I am failing miserably. MISERABLY, you guys. It's July (almost August, but I'm throwing myself a bone so I feel like less of a loser) and I have only read two. This one and Peter Pan (of which I also completely missed the plot). And yes, I chose both of them because they are short. And geared for children. So I figured they would be easy to read.
Wrong.
I finished Alice in Wonderland on December 28th of 2017 (which I ALSO didn't love), after reading it over the course of almost a full month. If only I had really let my loser truly shine and work for me for once and waited three more days to finish it. Then I would at least be three for seven.
But I digress.
I'm starting to think children's classics might not be for me. At least not these whimsical, nonsensical, fable/allegory-style classics for which I am obviously too uncouth and unintelligent. Or whatever the case may be. Regardless, I am just finding them to be very boring and I just can't get into them.
I'm gonna try Dorian Gray next though. NOT a children's classic. So hopefully I have more luck.
Fingers crossed.
December 5, 2021
This is my seventh time to reread and enjoy the little prince’s thought provoking, sad, poetic, nostalgic, powerful, emotional journey to the world!
Nearly 80 years later from its first release it still addresses to your heart, giving its important social criticism messages and also it gives you hope about friendship, childhood, life. That’s why after all these years the book is still cherished by both adults and young generations.
It was also great reflection of France’s fall at the end of World War II. It’s time to build a new country that is rising from its ashes.
Anytime I join this adventure, it makes you cry and smile at the same time which makes this book unique, timeless, lyrical, extraordinary.
Here are my favorite quotes:
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.”
“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them”
“Where are the people?” resumed the little prince at last. “It’s a little lonely in the desert…” “It is lonely when you’re among people, too,” said the snake.”
“If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers...”
Nearly 80 years later from its first release it still addresses to your heart, giving its important social criticism messages and also it gives you hope about friendship, childhood, life. That’s why after all these years the book is still cherished by both adults and young generations.
It was also great reflection of France’s fall at the end of World War II. It’s time to build a new country that is rising from its ashes.
Anytime I join this adventure, it makes you cry and smile at the same time which makes this book unique, timeless, lyrical, extraordinary.
Here are my favorite quotes:
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.”
“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them”
“Where are the people?” resumed the little prince at last. “It’s a little lonely in the desert…” “It is lonely when you’re among people, too,” said the snake.”
“If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers...”
April 21, 2019
I'm still waiting for The Little Prince to return. 🌹
December 25, 2022
L’IMMAGINAZIONE AL POTERE
Ma i grandi non capiranno mai che questo abbia tanta importanza.
Illustrazione originale di Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
Ma i grandi non capiranno mai che questo abbia tanta importanza.
Illustrazione originale di Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
August 12, 2018
[Original review, Jul 24 2018]
This month, three plotlines in my life collided. I know Swedish and Norwegian well, and I'd thought vaguely from time to time that I'd like to learn Icelandic too; I've always been a great admirer of Tolkien, and I knew he had been interested in Icelandic; and I have a couple of Icelandic friends. But none of this had ever come to anything. Last week, however, Jupiter aligned with Mars and I entered the Age of Aquarius. I'd just finished reading Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth , which has many striking passages in Icelandic, Old Norse and Old English, and our friend K happened to be on Iceland. Fired with enthusiasm by Tolkien's love of these obscure but wonderfully poetic languages, I asked K if she could possibly get me one or two Icelandic children's books. I just don't know how to thank her: she turned up with not one or two but half a dozen books, including my favorite, Le petit prince. I spent the next few days carrying it with me everywhere, snatching all opportunities to try to make sense out of it.
For people who don't know anything about Icelandic, it has the same ancestor as Swedish, Danish and Norwegian. A thousand years ago they were the same language. But the mainland languages have evolved at a normal rate, while Icelandic, on its faraway island, has changed relatively little; so if you speak Swedish or Norwegian, it's like trying to read a language which for an English-speaker would be somewhere between Chaucer and Beowulf. You recognise a few of the words at once, others are more or less mangled, and still others are completely unfamiliar. The first impression is that it makes no sense at all. But I know Le petit prince, and I started trying to guess what word was what, just reading without looking anything up.
It was amazing to see how well this worked. For example, let me show you the following sentence:
How does it work? I've been reading deep learning theory, and it's tempting to conceptualise it in terms of strengthening of neural pathways. I see a word I don't know, and I think of some words it could be: aðra to a Swedish-speaker first looks like ådra, "vein", and you only later think of andra, "second". This word occurs quite often. "Vein" never makes any sense, but "second" often makes good sense. So the pathway for ådra never gets strengthened but the one for andra does, and after a while my eyes just start seeing it as andra. The same thing happened with numerous other words. As I'm sure many language geeks will attest, it is such a weird and interesting feeling to find the sense emerging from words which initially looked like gibberish! I'm sorry if I've gone into too much detail here, but I wanted to explain what I mean when I say it's like doing drugs. You actually feel the text changing your state of consciousness.
Well, I'm hooked. Though so far, I've just barely started: the grammar is still a mystery to me. All the same, on my latest read-through I notice that the endings of nouns and verbs, which are first looked quite random, now seem to be displaying some recurrent patterns...
_________________________
[Update, Aug 6 2018]
I have been making efforts to understand in more quantitative terms what I've been doing here. First, I thought it would be a good exercise to try copying out the text of Litli prinsinn: this would force me to look carefully at every letter, and also give me a machine-readable version that I could analyse. I'm now about three-quarters of the way through (he has just said goodbye to the fox). I tried running my incomplete corpus, which contains about ten thousand words, through a script that Not and I developed last year.
The script is simple but quite useful. It counts frequencies for all the words in the corpus, then builds a hyperlinked concordance which shows me up to ten examples for each word. Every word is clickable, so I can take a word I'm unsure of in a sentence and see examples of that word in other contexts. There is a master index which lists all the words in descending frequency order. Here are the first 50 lines. The 'Freq' column gives the number of times the word occurs, and the 'Cumul' column gives the cumulative frequency:
All of these 50 words (to be exact, some of them are punctuation marks) are now very familiar to me, and as you can see they make up more than 50% of the text. I tried walking down the list to see when I stopped feeling confident. I can go as far as words with four or five occurrences, and I think I know what nearly all of them mean; that brings me up to about 400 words, and 75% of the total. When I look at words occurring two or three times, I start to feel uncertain, but I still think I know the majority of them. That gets me to 900 words and 86%. The 1600 words which only occur once are of course the hardest; but even here I feel I can guess a lot, perhaps a third to a half of them.
Copying out the text has sharpened my understanding of the grammar a good deal, and now I recognise quite a few endings. Though I'm still pretty hazy about the nouns. With multiple genders, multiple cases and marking for definiteness, there are many combinations, and I only know the most common ones.
It's surprising that one can extract so much information from a tiny sample of just ten thousand words. I'll see if I have the patience to finish this and then do Ævintýri Lísu í Undralandi as well...
___________________________________
[Update, Aug 8 2018]
I have finished copying out the text of Litli prins; the file now contains about 14,200 words and about 3,050 unique words. I made a small improvement to our script, so that it now creates an alphabetical index as well. This is very useful for finding copying errors: if I see two words close together which are almost the same, that often means that one of them is an error. Tidying up my copied text is not as tedious as I thought it would be. It's forcing me to look very carefully at everything and consolidate my extremely sketchy vocabulary.
I am sure there are still many errors left, but after this initial cleaning up pass I can look at my alphabetical index and get further on trying to understand the grammar. Here's a section showing forms of the word stjarna, "star", which occurs often in Litli prins.
Some of these are compound nouns: for example, stjörnufræðingur, literally "star-ologist" is "astronomer", and stjarnfræðiþingi, "star-ology-thing" is "astronomical congress". But what are all the others, most of which look like inflected forms? I can click on any of them and get a hyperlinked page of examples. For example, let's look at the page for stjörnu, which occurs 15 times:
I see that occurrences of stjörnu usually come after a preposition. For example, we have Hann hefir aldrei horft á stjörnu, "He has never looked at stjörnu", or En þú ert hreinn og þú kemur frá stjörnu, "But you are pure and you come from stjörnu". Most of the others are similar. Hm, looks like this is a dative singular? My suspicions are reinforced by the fact that Swedish used to have a dative; it disappeared long ago, but still survives in a couple of fixed expressions like till salu, "for sale", which has this -u ending.
Still a great deal more grammar to figure out! There are some improvements to the script that I hope to add soon, and which might help...
___________________________________
[Update, Aug 12 2018]
I have added another little improvement to our script. It now creates a hyperlinked version of the original text, with the words colour-marked to show how frequently they occurred in the text you've read so far. The initial version uses four colours. Words are in black if they occur more than five times, blue if they occur four or five times, green if they occur two or three times, and red if they occur once. Here's an example, the start of the visit to the Drunkard:
The colours let you see at a glance approximately how well I now understand the text. Look at the first paragraph:
This was an easier passage than average, and usually there is more red. But it feels motivating to think that, as I copy out more text and process it through the script, the red tide should start to recede...
[To Ævintýri Lísu í Undralandi ]
This month, three plotlines in my life collided. I know Swedish and Norwegian well, and I'd thought vaguely from time to time that I'd like to learn Icelandic too; I've always been a great admirer of Tolkien, and I knew he had been interested in Icelandic; and I have a couple of Icelandic friends. But none of this had ever come to anything. Last week, however, Jupiter aligned with Mars and I entered the Age of Aquarius. I'd just finished reading Tolkien: Maker of Middle-Earth , which has many striking passages in Icelandic, Old Norse and Old English, and our friend K happened to be on Iceland. Fired with enthusiasm by Tolkien's love of these obscure but wonderfully poetic languages, I asked K if she could possibly get me one or two Icelandic children's books. I just don't know how to thank her: she turned up with not one or two but half a dozen books, including my favorite, Le petit prince. I spent the next few days carrying it with me everywhere, snatching all opportunities to try to make sense out of it.
For people who don't know anything about Icelandic, it has the same ancestor as Swedish, Danish and Norwegian. A thousand years ago they were the same language. But the mainland languages have evolved at a normal rate, while Icelandic, on its faraway island, has changed relatively little; so if you speak Swedish or Norwegian, it's like trying to read a language which for an English-speaker would be somewhere between Chaucer and Beowulf. You recognise a few of the words at once, others are more or less mangled, and still others are completely unfamiliar. The first impression is that it makes no sense at all. But I know Le petit prince, and I started trying to guess what word was what, just reading without looking anything up.
It was amazing to see how well this worked. For example, let me show you the following sentence:
Þar sem ég hafði adrei teiknað kind dró ég upp fyrir hann aðra af þeim tveimur myndum sem ég var fær að gera: myndina af kyrkislöngunni utanverði.The first time I saw this, there were only a couple of words I felt at all sure about. Upp and var must be the same words as in Swedish ("up" and "was"). I soon figured out that ég was "I" (it is the same word in some Norwegian dialects), að was att ("that"), and hann was han ("he/him"). The words mynd and kind weren't like anything I recognised, but they were common, and having already come across them I realised they must be "drawing" and "sheep". As I read the book for the second time, the other words gradually fell into place too, and after a while I could read it as sort-of-Swedish:
Då som jag hadde aldrig tecknad får drog jag upp för honom den-andra av dem två teckningarna som jag var för att göra: teckningen av pytonormen utifrån.which I might render into sort-of-English as:
Then as I had never drawn sheep pulled I up for him the-second of the two drawings which I was able-to make: the-drawing of the-python from-outside.I recalled that there was a sentence something like this near the beginning of the story: it all made sense.
How does it work? I've been reading deep learning theory, and it's tempting to conceptualise it in terms of strengthening of neural pathways. I see a word I don't know, and I think of some words it could be: aðra to a Swedish-speaker first looks like ådra, "vein", and you only later think of andra, "second". This word occurs quite often. "Vein" never makes any sense, but "second" often makes good sense. So the pathway for ådra never gets strengthened but the one for andra does, and after a while my eyes just start seeing it as andra. The same thing happened with numerous other words. As I'm sure many language geeks will attest, it is such a weird and interesting feeling to find the sense emerging from words which initially looked like gibberish! I'm sorry if I've gone into too much detail here, but I wanted to explain what I mean when I say it's like doing drugs. You actually feel the text changing your state of consciousness.
Well, I'm hooked. Though so far, I've just barely started: the grammar is still a mystery to me. All the same, on my latest read-through I notice that the endings of nouns and verbs, which are first looked quite random, now seem to be displaying some recurrent patterns...
_________________________
[Update, Aug 6 2018]
I have been making efforts to understand in more quantitative terms what I've been doing here. First, I thought it would be a good exercise to try copying out the text of Litli prinsinn: this would force me to look carefully at every letter, and also give me a machine-readable version that I could analyse. I'm now about three-quarters of the way through (he has just said goodbye to the fox). I tried running my incomplete corpus, which contains about ten thousand words, through a script that Not and I developed last year.
The script is simple but quite useful. It counts frequencies for all the words in the corpus, then builds a hyperlinked concordance which shows me up to ten examples for each word. Every word is clickable, so I can take a word I'm unsure of in a sentence and see examples of that word in other contexts. There is a master index which lists all the words in descending frequency order. Here are the first 50 lines. The 'Freq' column gives the number of times the word occurs, and the 'Cumul' column gives the cumulative frequency:
All of these 50 words (to be exact, some of them are punctuation marks) are now very familiar to me, and as you can see they make up more than 50% of the text. I tried walking down the list to see when I stopped feeling confident. I can go as far as words with four or five occurrences, and I think I know what nearly all of them mean; that brings me up to about 400 words, and 75% of the total. When I look at words occurring two or three times, I start to feel uncertain, but I still think I know the majority of them. That gets me to 900 words and 86%. The 1600 words which only occur once are of course the hardest; but even here I feel I can guess a lot, perhaps a third to a half of them.
Copying out the text has sharpened my understanding of the grammar a good deal, and now I recognise quite a few endings. Though I'm still pretty hazy about the nouns. With multiple genders, multiple cases and marking for definiteness, there are many combinations, and I only know the most common ones.
It's surprising that one can extract so much information from a tiny sample of just ten thousand words. I'll see if I have the patience to finish this and then do Ævintýri Lísu í Undralandi as well...
___________________________________
[Update, Aug 8 2018]
I have finished copying out the text of Litli prins; the file now contains about 14,200 words and about 3,050 unique words. I made a small improvement to our script, so that it now creates an alphabetical index as well. This is very useful for finding copying errors: if I see two words close together which are almost the same, that often means that one of them is an error. Tidying up my copied text is not as tedious as I thought it would be. It's forcing me to look very carefully at everything and consolidate my extremely sketchy vocabulary.
I am sure there are still many errors left, but after this initial cleaning up pass I can look at my alphabetical index and get further on trying to understand the grammar. Here's a section showing forms of the word stjarna, "star", which occurs often in Litli prins.
Some of these are compound nouns: for example, stjörnufræðingur, literally "star-ologist" is "astronomer", and stjarnfræðiþingi, "star-ology-thing" is "astronomical congress". But what are all the others, most of which look like inflected forms? I can click on any of them and get a hyperlinked page of examples. For example, let's look at the page for stjörnu, which occurs 15 times:
I see that occurrences of stjörnu usually come after a preposition. For example, we have Hann hefir aldrei horft á stjörnu, "He has never looked at stjörnu", or En þú ert hreinn og þú kemur frá stjörnu, "But you are pure and you come from stjörnu". Most of the others are similar. Hm, looks like this is a dative singular? My suspicions are reinforced by the fact that Swedish used to have a dative; it disappeared long ago, but still survives in a couple of fixed expressions like till salu, "for sale", which has this -u ending.
Still a great deal more grammar to figure out! There are some improvements to the script that I hope to add soon, and which might help...
___________________________________
[Update, Aug 12 2018]
I have added another little improvement to our script. It now creates a hyperlinked version of the original text, with the words colour-marked to show how frequently they occurred in the text you've read so far. The initial version uses four colours. Words are in black if they occur more than five times, blue if they occur four or five times, green if they occur two or three times, and red if they occur once. Here's an example, the start of the visit to the Drunkard:
The colours let you see at a glance approximately how well I now understand the text. Look at the first paragraph:
Á þriðja hnettinum bjó drykkjumaður. Heimsóknin þangað var mjög stutt, en hún fyllti litla prinsinn miklu þunglyndi.Black words like hnettinum ("planet", I think in the dative) and mjög ("very") are quite familiar, and I am reasonably confident that I've guessed the green and blue ones correctly. Only two words, stutt ("short"?) and þunglyndi ("depression"?) are in red, and these are indeed the ones I feel least certain about. I'm pretty much guessing stutt from context. I'm more confident about þunglyndi, since I know from other examples that þung, cognate to Swedish tung, is "heavy", lyndi is probably something related to Swedish lynne, "spirit", and there is a Swedish word tungsint, "heavy-spirited/depressed".
(At the-third planet lived drunkard. The-visit there was very ?short, but it filled the-little prince much ?depression)
This was an easier passage than average, and usually there is more red. But it feels motivating to think that, as I copy out more text and process it through the script, the red tide should start to recede...
[To Ævintýri Lísu í Undralandi ]
March 19, 2023
Never before did I read The Little Prince … But it’s better late than never…
Despite its outward simplicity the story possesses sagacity of parable… It’s about loneliness and friendship…
The little prince is a guest from the tiny planet… Solitude is a very small planet… In the desert he meets a pilot in trouble and they talk…
On his way to Earth the little prince encounters several colourful personas – all of them are selfish, smug and indifferent. And only on Earth the wise fox teaches him the art of acquiring friends…
Even the only friend can save you from loneliness.
There is a rose unlike any other.
Despite its outward simplicity the story possesses sagacity of parable… It’s about loneliness and friendship…
The little prince is a guest from the tiny planet… Solitude is a very small planet… In the desert he meets a pilot in trouble and they talk…
‘So what’s the point of thorns then?’
The little prince never gave up a question once he’d asked it. I was angry with the bolt and snapped back without thinking:
‘Thorns are pointless; they’re just a flower’s way of being spiteful!’
‘Oh!’
But after a silence he said bitterly:
‘I don’t believe you. Flowers are weak and simple. They fend for themselves as best they can. They think they’re terrifying with their thorns.’
On his way to Earth the little prince encounters several colourful personas – all of them are selfish, smug and indifferent. And only on Earth the wise fox teaches him the art of acquiring friends…
‘Please,’ he said. ‘Tame me!’
‘I’d like to,’ replied the little prince. ‘But I haven’t got a lot of time. I want to make friends and learn about things.’
‘You only know about things you tame,’ said the fox. ‘People haven’t got time to know about things any more. They buy things ready-made in the shops. But as there aren’t any shops that sell friendship, they don’t have friends anymore. If you want a friend, tame me!’
Even the only friend can save you from loneliness.
There is a rose unlike any other.
April 28, 2011
In a grimy underground locked public toilet The Little Prince wakes slowly, he’s been out cold for hours. He’s bleeding from a gash on his upper arm. He finds he is chained by leg irons to the wall. There is another person sharing his predicament. It’s a bear, also chained to the opposite wall. In the center of the floor is the corpse of what appears to be donkey in a pool of blood. Near the corpse are a gun, a tape recorder and a saw.
“Grownups are very strange,” said the Little Prince to himself, sadly.
“Grownups are very strange,” said the Little Prince to himself, sadly.
September 11, 2015
Beautiful reading!
WHEN A ROSE IS NOT A ROSE
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
I plan to read The Little Prince since many time ago, and I was aware that it was a quick reading, but still I hadn’t do it yet, until now.
I went to the cinema theaters and I watched the new animated film about it, and while I hadn’t read the book, I watched the film and I loved it. I was aware that it wasn’t an exact adaptation per se, and then I knew that it was about time to read the book.
It was a quick reading, it took me like a couple of hours. Wonderful book.
The Little Prince is a metaphorical and surrealist journey where a rose isn’t necessarily a rose, a fox isn’t always a fox, a small planet isn’t a small planet all the time...
All those things and more that you can find in the book, they will be whatever you need to be. You just need to recognize what will be the rose, what will be the fox, what will be the small planet...
And then, and only then you will be able to realice the power behind of this cute little book.
HIDDEN THINGS
What makes the desert beautiful,... ...,is that somewhere it hides a well...
Also, a hidden wonder about this book is that you not only need to realice what things in your own life to interchange with the ones in the Little Prince’s journey, but moreover, you need to “see” with your heart and being able to find the “well” in every “desert”.
Sometimes isn’t easy, and I guess that there will be moments when those deserts are truly dry, maybe there was a well some time ago, but it’s long gone. But only you, if you are careful and “observant” with your heart, you will be able to make the difference.
At plain sight, your eyes can deceive you about what it’s in front of you, but if you learn to “watch” with your heart, rarely you will be fooled about it.
So, not matter if you are in a desert or a little planet (most likely an asteroid), be prepared to take flight and be ready with paper and a pencil, since who knows? Maybe the Little Prince will need you to draw something beyond the evident...
WHEN A ROSE IS NOT A ROSE
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
I plan to read The Little Prince since many time ago, and I was aware that it was a quick reading, but still I hadn’t do it yet, until now.
I went to the cinema theaters and I watched the new animated film about it, and while I hadn’t read the book, I watched the film and I loved it. I was aware that it wasn’t an exact adaptation per se, and then I knew that it was about time to read the book.
It was a quick reading, it took me like a couple of hours. Wonderful book.
The Little Prince is a metaphorical and surrealist journey where a rose isn’t necessarily a rose, a fox isn’t always a fox, a small planet isn’t a small planet all the time...
All those things and more that you can find in the book, they will be whatever you need to be. You just need to recognize what will be the rose, what will be the fox, what will be the small planet...
And then, and only then you will be able to realice the power behind of this cute little book.
HIDDEN THINGS
What makes the desert beautiful,... ...,is that somewhere it hides a well...
Also, a hidden wonder about this book is that you not only need to realice what things in your own life to interchange with the ones in the Little Prince’s journey, but moreover, you need to “see” with your heart and being able to find the “well” in every “desert”.
Sometimes isn’t easy, and I guess that there will be moments when those deserts are truly dry, maybe there was a well some time ago, but it’s long gone. But only you, if you are careful and “observant” with your heart, you will be able to make the difference.
At plain sight, your eyes can deceive you about what it’s in front of you, but if you learn to “watch” with your heart, rarely you will be fooled about it.
So, not matter if you are in a desert or a little planet (most likely an asteroid), be prepared to take flight and be ready with paper and a pencil, since who knows? Maybe the Little Prince will need you to draw something beyond the evident...
February 7, 2018
I have read only three books which I felt were magical: One Hundred Years of Solitude, To Kill a Mockingbird and this one. However, what separates this from the other two is that this is a book for all ages.
There was a magazine called "Imprint" (now defunct) during my childhood, in India. It used to publish literary articles and stories. My father got official copies and he brought them home regularly. One issue contained this story, and he gave it to me for reading. I was maybe 10-12 at that time.
It left an indelible impression on my mind: I was sad for the little prince and his proud rose, and constantly worried whether the goat would eat it. I chuckled at the silly grownups on the various planets, following their inane pursuits. I was sad when the fox and the prince had to separate, after he had tamed it. And I broke down and cried at the end.
I read this book again after a long time... and suddenly realised that I had become one of those adults on the asteroids. I was still sad after reading it-but now the sorrow had a deeper meaning. It was the death of childhood that I was reading about.
This book is an absolute treasure.
Postscript
July 22, 2015 - I gave this book to my son a couple of days back. Hopefully he'll read it - he has yet to fully transform into a silly grown-up.
There was a magazine called "Imprint" (now defunct) during my childhood, in India. It used to publish literary articles and stories. My father got official copies and he brought them home regularly. One issue contained this story, and he gave it to me for reading. I was maybe 10-12 at that time.
It left an indelible impression on my mind: I was sad for the little prince and his proud rose, and constantly worried whether the goat would eat it. I chuckled at the silly grownups on the various planets, following their inane pursuits. I was sad when the fox and the prince had to separate, after he had tamed it. And I broke down and cried at the end.
I read this book again after a long time... and suddenly realised that I had become one of those adults on the asteroids. I was still sad after reading it-but now the sorrow had a deeper meaning. It was the death of childhood that I was reading about.
This book is an absolute treasure.
Postscript
July 22, 2015 - I gave this book to my son a couple of days back. Hopefully he'll read it - he has yet to fully transform into a silly grown-up.
July 16, 2019
For a kid's story, this one has rather heavy-handed intentions embedded into quite a sophisticated system of symbols that exists to produce a strong & emotional effect. Like Voltaire in "Micromegas", Antoine de Saint-Exupery plays with sizes & scales, meddles with the allegorical and even plays with time. He knew, like an astute psychoanalyst, precisely which images to use to convey the mere representation of Mortality. Le Petit Prince is the Everyman who has a deep passion somewhere inside of him and only with childlike wonder and awe (he asks questions on top of questions: no matter the degree of absurdity) is he able to show us glimpses of it. Externalizing feelings like only a child can. I find the golden-tressed titular child a very peculiar emblem in the middle of the Saharan desert... an eerie, living monolith (almost an oxymoron when one comes to think of it.) So, kids, let me ask you this one: Are we just placed on this planet so as to remain forever... ALONE?!
March 17, 2020
EDIT (17/03/2020):
“It is such a mysterious place, the land of tears.”
This, this is the right time to revisit your favourite books! It just feels like meeting an old-time friend.
Just what we all need at the moment! It really made me feel so happy to re-read this book again. I have limited time, and I try to focus on new books. And since we are asked to remain at home as much as possible, I thought this would be a great moment to re-read this book. The Little Prince will always remain my favourite!
“It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others.”
EDIT (08/06/2018):
"You understand... it is too far. I cannot carry this body with me. It is too heavy."
Whenever I read the Little Prince, I read it in the voice of my grandmother who used to read it to me when I was little.
And now, it became our final goodbye.
"And at night you will look up at the stars. Where I live everything is so small
that I cannot show you where my star is to be found. It is better, like that. My
star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all the
stars in the heavens... they will all be your friends. And, besides, I am going to
make you a present..."
-------------
V téhle knize je něco úžasného, vždycky mě uchopí za srdce a ten konec mám sto chutí ořvat. A přitom je to tak jednoduchá kniha, ale je v ní takové pravdy!
Jako malá jsem měla CD, kde příběh vypráví Jiřina Bohdalová, co já jsem se toho naposlouchala. A nakonci, jak je "výzva", že když se malý princ objeví, tak jí máme napsat. Tak kolik já jsem těch dopisů napsala, když jsem si hrála, mám pocit, že by se doma ještě daly najít.
Jedna z nejlepších knih. Neuvěřitelně smutná a o to víc krásná.
"Kniha je jako zrcadlo. Hledí-li do ní hlupák, sotva může očekávat, že uvidí něco geniálního." J. K. Rowling
“It is such a mysterious place, the land of tears.”
This, this is the right time to revisit your favourite books! It just feels like meeting an old-time friend.
Just what we all need at the moment! It really made me feel so happy to re-read this book again. I have limited time, and I try to focus on new books. And since we are asked to remain at home as much as possible, I thought this would be a great moment to re-read this book. The Little Prince will always remain my favourite!
“It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others.”
EDIT (08/06/2018):
"You understand... it is too far. I cannot carry this body with me. It is too heavy."
Whenever I read the Little Prince, I read it in the voice of my grandmother who used to read it to me when I was little.
And now, it became our final goodbye.
"And at night you will look up at the stars. Where I live everything is so small
that I cannot show you where my star is to be found. It is better, like that. My
star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all the
stars in the heavens... they will all be your friends. And, besides, I am going to
make you a present..."
-------------
V téhle knize je něco úžasného, vždycky mě uchopí za srdce a ten konec mám sto chutí ořvat. A přitom je to tak jednoduchá kniha, ale je v ní takové pravdy!
Jako malá jsem měla CD, kde příběh vypráví Jiřina Bohdalová, co já jsem se toho naposlouchala. A nakonci, jak je "výzva", že když se malý princ objeví, tak jí máme napsat. Tak kolik já jsem těch dopisů napsala, když jsem si hrála, mám pocit, že by se doma ještě daly najít.
Jedna z nejlepších knih. Neuvěřitelně smutná a o to víc krásná.
"Kniha je jako zrcadlo. Hledí-li do ní hlupák, sotva může očekávat, že uvidí něco geniálního." J. K. Rowling
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