Sunday 25 May 2014

The Little Prince


It took me a while to post this because in my research I got immersed in the life story of  a French aristocrat, writer, poet, and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, whose death/disappearance haven't been fully explained to this day. This FDC showing his most famous literary hero The Little Prince was issued in 1994 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tragic event when Saint-Exupéry went on his ninth reconnaissance mission (being a war pilot) only to disappear without a trace. In May 2000 the partial remains of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning were found, spread over thousands of square metres of the seabed off the coast of Marseille, near to where the bracelet with his name was previously found.

“All men have stars, but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems... But all these stars are silent. You-You alone will have stars as no one else has them... In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night..You, only you, will have stars that can laugh! And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me... You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure... It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh”
All of the novella's simple but elegant watercolour illustrations, which were integral to the story, were painted by Saint-Exupéry. What a mind, what a talent...

Discover more historical lessons clicking on this link:

 

11 comments:

  1. We have a copy of Saint-Exupéry's Courrier Sud in our book case. It was part of my daughter's French reading list while at school. The cover shows a single engine plane flying over the desert. I doubt that my French is still good enough for me to read it. I like the idea of his Little Prince being used on this commemorative stamp.

    ReplyDelete
  2. !!! One of my all time favourite books!! Had it on the reading list in 4th grade, and didn't like it one bit...i was all like, what's this c***....then, it came to my hands again like 15 years later..fell in love with it...I still don't know why it was a mandatory read of 10 year old children...it may seem like a children's book, but it takes a more mature mind to actually understand it and truly appreciate it...at least that's my opinion :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. we didnt have it as obligatory read but i totally see your point - its too abstract for a child's mind. btw i generally wasnt a fan of the school's reading list ;)

      Delete
  3. Well, that brings back memories of years gone by.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have come to love The Little Prince only very recently so I think your stamp is wonderful. I didn't even hear of the book at school but by the sound of things, that may be an advantage.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I don't think I ever read the Little Prince. That quote makes me want to look at the stars, but I can't really see much in a populated area.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The stars are always a joy to see.
    I also once got lost reading up on Antoine de St-E, so I understand!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I had 'Vol de Nuit' on the French literature list at college, I really didn't like it. Probably another book which is better a little later on.
    Lovely stamp.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a sweet cover. I've never read The Little Prince which is probably why I always assumed with an aristocratic name like that he was writing in the 19th Century. Great to learn through stamps.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This book wasn't in any list of compulsory books, but I read it anyway. In fact, I read in Spanish, then in my language, then in French when I started to learn this language (it isn't difficult), and it's also the first book in Arabic I finished. So, as you can see, I'm very familiar with the topic! I'm glad to see the little prince on a stamp.

    ReplyDelete
  10. It's been a long time since I read this book. thank you for reminding us of it.

    ReplyDelete