75 years of 'The Little Prince': a book that has impacted many lives

"You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed". If you don't know this pearl of world culture yet, don't waste your time and find a way to read the classic "The Little Prince, " a book that has definitely impacted the lives of thousands of people around the globe. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's wonderful work marks 75 years of existence in 2018, and I (Ricardo Fadel, fan of the little prince) make sure to tell you a little about the author and some repercussions generated by the book.

Once again, if you haven't read this classic yet, go for it and do yourself a favor ... This article may not be so meaningful if you don't know the asteroid B-612 saga yet. And don't worry: here, there's no spoiler or revealing fact about the plot, ok?

A weight background

The French writer - and also airplane pilot - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry did not decide to create a pearl of children's literature like this, "out of nowhere". At 21, after going through an unsuccessful university career, Saint-Exupéry ended up in the French army. And it was there that his talents as a pilot were developed.

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Moving between military practice, various jobs, and various aviator jobs, the Frenchman produced stories that were quite successful even before the release of the little prince's book. The classic "Night Flight", released in 1931, won a number of awards and, after a forced landing in the Libyan desert, the author wrote "Land of Men" (1939): an even more awarded and best-selling bestseller. among the top sellers of The New York Times for 5 months.

Then comes World War II, and the author finds himself exiled to North America, "landing" in New York City. In 1940, Saint-Exupéry literally escaped from his nation (which had just passed the murky Battle of France, or Fall of France) with his wife, Salvadoran writer and artist Consuelo Suncin.

But the aristocrat did not have a comfortable stay in the US. In any case, amid a series of personal dilemmas, misfortunes in marriage, and ill health, Saint-Exupéry used his own life experience to come up with the idea of ​​narrating the saga of a little extraterrestrial prince and began a simple sequence, but beautiful illustrations.

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In an article in The New York Times in 2000, biographer Stacy Schiff reports that there is a direct and emotional connection between the expatriate author and the extraterrestrial prince. Schiff comments that "the two remain intertwined together, innocent twins who fell from the sky."

From the beginning of the book's idea, Saint-Exupéry already knew that he would "act" as a narrator of a story with a young prince, full of innocence and wisdom. Some character concepts have emerged that are not in the book today, but the plot as a whole has not undergone major direction transformations. Finally, "The Little Prince" took shape and was finally published in 1943 (1945 in France).

Antoine Jean-Baptiste Marie Roger Foscolombe of Saint-Exupéry left planet Earth - and joined the little prince - at a young age of 44. The French eventually returned to Europe after 25 months of exile, and during a military mission in 1944, Saint-Exupéry departed from an air base in Corsica and never returned.

Strong impact on the entertainment world

It is undeniable that the storyline of the book - published in more than 220 languages ​​and dialects - is timeless, and many of the messages of love and companionship have been so striking that people of all faiths and social backgrounds are identified with what Saint reports. -Exupéry. Many people and literature experts are even holding events (via social media, for example) to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the fable and to discuss different passages and events.

Regarding the impact generated in other branches of entertainment, "The Little Prince" emerged as:

  • A musical film (1974 with Bob Fosse and Gene Wilder);
  • A theme park in South Korea;
  • A museum in Japan;
  • A boutique in France;
  • An animated feature film (2015, directed by Mark Osborne, the same as "Kung Fu Panda"; check out the trailer below);
  • And even sequences to the original book (one written by a niece of Saint-Exupéry).

In Brazil, you can even find an avenue that bears the name of the book: Avenida Pequeno Príncipe, in Florianópolis, as Saint-Exupéry passed through the city during his aviator career. In addition, some plays based on the book have appeared in Sao Paulo and other major cities on the planet.

In 2018, therefore, "The Little Prince" marks 75 years of a beautiful existence. Amazon is one of the companies that found an interesting way to celebrate this date. In the online store, you can preview the pre-sale of "The Little Prince: 75th Anniversary Edition", a commemorative edition of the classic that includes the original story, a "making of" of the plot and even a bonus: a download link for a sound version of the book, narrated by none other than the acclaimed actor Viggo Mortensen. What about?

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If you haven't read the book yet, for the third time here's the request: do it! If you already know the saga of the little prince, well ... It is the tip to give that remembered when taking the book from the bookshelf and immerse yourself again in this beautiful story that, despite being presented as children and youth, gives beautiful messages to people of all ages., Is not it?