We have all read it, and it is one of the most translated and well-known novels in the world. We are talking about The Little Prince, the masterpiece by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) that the most transparent and honest judge, time, has elevated to an essential classic of children’s literature. The numbers also say it: over 200 million copies sold and translations in more than one hundred languages. But not only that. Because the book, which came out in the United States in 1943 and posthumously in France in ’46, is also a literary transposition of the author’s life and owes a lot to a tragic episode, the 1935 plane crash that forced Exupéry to crash-land in the Sahara desert.
Gabriele Dadati (born in Piacenza 42 years ago, author of Klimt’s Model, 2020) decided to start from here to build his story within history. The Wings of the Little Prince, which is published today by Solferino (277 pp.; 18.50 euros), is first and foremost a passionate tribute to a character outside the box, such as Saint-Exupéry, but also a scholar of the word. A biography, therefore, on which Dadati has sewn the novelist’s good clothes; but also an invitation to rediscover his prose, which it would be “difficult to imagine more sparse”.
Dadati, what does it mean to follow in the footsteps of a figure like Saint-Exupéry?
“It means exploring a life bordering on the heroic. We are talking about a very particular man: he was an aviation pioneer but also a highly appreciated author. Before The Little Prince he had in fact written other successful novels that we should start rereading. But Saint-Exupéry was also a man of great spirituality, demonstrated by his unfinished Citadel, a book of great philosophical depth that should be reread and appreciated.”
Why then do we only remember The Little Prince?
“Probably because it is his only illustrated and children’s book. This may have helped separate the novel from Saint-Exupéry’s other works.”
How did the 1935 accident influence Saint-Exupéry’s most famous novel?
“It certainly influenced him if we look at the setting – the desert – and the characters, including the protagonist. Who is very similar to Saint-Exupéry’s brother, François. And there is also another detail: François died before Saint-Exupéry’s accident -Exupéry occurred in ’35. On his deathbed François wore the same dressing gown that, literarily speaking, the little prince would later wear. This means that Saint-Exupéry had already drawn the novel in his mind before the accident, which then inevitably It sped things up.”
What does a story like that of The Little Prince teach us? And what is the legacy that Saint-Exupéry leaves us?
“Saint-Exupéry was an extraordinary man. And he didn’t deny himself anything. He teaches us that we must always give our best and not give up anything that we consider truly important. As for his masterpiece, I would say that it is a complex work and should be taken very seriously. Also because The Little Prince is a serious book. It teaches us, for example, that building affections and bonds is not something to be taken lightly. And it also makes us understand the importance of words: the protagonist tells us what he thinks in a direct way, without frills. I insist a lot on this aspect”.
Why?
“Because so much has been written about Saint-Exupéry. But few have really heard his words. And this, in my opinion, is the specific value of art. I started from here. Then there is also the classic research work, to which I have dedicated myself a lot”.
Now that you know everything about this writer, how could you define The Little Prince with just a few brush strokes?
“I would define it as a novel that teaches us to take feelings seriously, from the humblest to the most intense.”
