The Little

Prince
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

was born into an aristocratic family in Lyon,

France, on June 29, 1900. His father died when
he was a young boy, and his mother moved him
and his four siblings to a relative’s château in
the east. Saint-Exupéry enjoyed a mostly
carefree and privileged life, and in 1912, he took
his first trip in an airplane—an experience that
would have a profound and lasting impression
on him.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
was a French writer, aviator, poet and author.
Raised in an aristocratic family, he fell in love
with aviation at an early age after took his first
airplane ride at the age of 12. He received his
pilot’s wings during his compulsory military
service in 1922, around which time he also
began to write. His adventures as a pilot would
supply the inspiration for all of his literary
endeavors, which culminated with the 1943
publication of the classic The Little Prince.
 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Despite his disappointing rejection from the naval
academy, in 1921, Saint-Exupéry was given the
opportunity to realize his dreams of flying during his
compulsory service in the military. Initially working
as a mechanic in the army, he learned how to
fly. Saint-Exupéry became a pilot in the air force the
following year, based in North Africa. His
engagement to a young woman resulted in Saint-
Exupéry leaving the air force in 1922. However,
when their relationship failed shortly thereafter,
Saint-Exupéry returned to his first love, flying, and
developed a new passion as well—writing.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Despite his disappointing rejection from the naval
academy, in 1921, Saint-Exupéry was given the
opportunity to realize his dreams of flying during his
compulsory service in the military. Initially working
as a mechanic in the army, he learned how to
fly. Saint-Exupéry became a pilot in the air force the
following year, based in North Africa. His
engagement to a young woman resulted in Saint-
Exupéry leaving the air force in 1922. However,
when their relationship failed shortly thereafter,
Saint-Exupéry returned to his first love, flying, and
developed a new passion as well—writing.
 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
While working various jobs, Saint-Exupéry began to
write stories inspired by his experiences as a pilot. He
published his first work, “The Aviator,” in 1926, the
same year that he returned to flying as a mail pilot with
the aviation company Aéropostale in Toulouse, covering
routes between France, Spain and North Africa. The
remainder of Saint-Exupéry’s life would be defined by
the intertwining of his dual occupations as aviator and
author, with the former providing the inspiration for his
literary work.
 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
In1927, Saint-Exupéry was placed in charge of an
airfield in the Sahara. His experiences there informed
his first novel, Southern Mail, which celebrated the
courage of pilots, and was published in 1929. His
similarly themed Night Flight was published in 1931
after he returned from a two-year posting in
Argentina, where he had helped to establish an air
mail system. Night Flight would become his first true
literary success, receiving the Prix Femina literary
prize and later being adapted into a 1933 Hollywood
film