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The Little Prince - Антуан де Сент-Экзюпери

The Little Prince

Страниц

35

Год

2018

"The Little Prince (French: Le Petit Prince) is an enchanting and thought-provoking allegorical fable, which stands as the crowning achievement of the renowned French author, Antoine de Saint-Exupery. This timeless masterpiece first graced the literary world in April 1943, captivating readers with its dual-language edition published by the esteemed "Reynal & Hitchcock" publishing house. It is worth noting that Saint-Exupery penned this extraordinary novella during his sojourn in the vibrant and bustling city of New York, seeking solace and refuge from the tumultuous occupation of his beloved homeland, France, by the nefarious Nazi regime.

Inspired by his personal experiences and reflections, the fable skilfully intertwines both the wanderings of a rejected prince and the innocent perspective of a child, offering readers a profound and multifaceted understanding of the complexities of life and the world around us. The narrative embarks on the extraordinary travels of the eponymous Little Prince, originating from the captivatingly diminutive planet B-612. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that his celestial expeditions serve a far greater purpose – they serve as a metaphorical catalyst for self-discovery and the pursuit of truth in an often perplexing and bewildering universe.

Saint-Exupery's sheer genius lies in his ability to create a literary masterpiece that effortlessly transcends age boundaries. Through his eloquently crafted narrative, adult readers are granted a glimpse into a profound conversation between two old friends, while younger audiences are presented with a captivating, easily relatable journey through their very own familiar surroundings. It is this remarkable fusion of artistic method and elegant storytelling that has propelled The Little Prince to soar to unprecedented heights of acclaim and popularity, captivating the hearts and minds of generations."

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Chapter I

When I was six years old I saw a picture that had a great impact on me. It was in a book called The real nature stories where an ancient forest was described. There was a picture of a boa constrictor that was swallowing an animal. This is how it looked:


It said: “Boa constrictors swallow their catch without chewing. After that, they cannot move and will sleep for up to six months, which they need to digest the food.” Back then I was fascinated by jungle adventures. It didn’t take me long to draw my first picture. My picture number one looked like this:


.

I showed my masterpiece to adults and asked whether they were scared.

“Are we scared? Who is afraid of a hat?” they answered.

But I didn’t draw the hat. It was the boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But because the adults couldn’t understand this I made another picture: I showed what was inside the boa constrictor so the adults were able to see it clearly. They always need everything explaining.

My picture number two looked like this:



This time the adults advised me to leave the pictures of the boa constrictor, inside or outside, and dedicate myself to Geography, Arithmetic and Grammar. So, at the age of six, I gave up the thing that could bring me a successful career as an artist. I lost inspiration because of the failures with both my pictures. Adults will never get the point, and it’s too tiring for children to explain everything to them.

Later I chose another occupation. I learned to fly a plane. I travelled to all parts of the world; geography was really useful. I can tell the difference between China and Arizona at first sight. If you get lost at night, this knowledge is very valuable. During my life, I had to meet a lot of people who were busy with very important things. For a long time, I lived among adults. They were clearly visible and I was able to watch them closely. But this didn’t make my opinion about them better.

When I met someone who seemed smart I used to experiment. I showed my picture number one that I always carried with me. This way, I tried to find out whether a person could really understand everything correctly. But whether it was a man or a woman, everybody always said, “This is a hat.” After such an answer, I never discussed boa constrictors, ancient life or stars with them. I came down to their level. I talked to them about bridges, golf, politics and ties. And adults were very happy to meet such an intelligent person.

Chapter II

I was rather lonely. I had nobody to talk to honestly until I had an accident while flying my plane. It happened in the Sahara Desert. Something went wrong with the engine. As there were no passengers or a mechanic with me, I decided to fix it myself. It was a matter of life or death for me: I hardly had enough water to survive for a week.

During the first night, I had to sleep on the sand thousands of miles from any civilisation. I was more isolated than a sailor in a lifeboat after a shipwreck in the middle of the ocean. So you can imagine how amazed I was when a miraculous childish voice woke me up at dawn.

“Could you draw me a lamb?” it spoke.

”Excuse me?”

”Draw me a lamb!”

I jumped up wide awake. I blinked repeatedly. I looked around carefully. I saw the most astonishing creature that was looking at me with imperturbable seriousness. Here you can see the best picture of him I managed to draw. Without a doubt, my picture lacks the charm that the original character possessed.

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