Antoine de Saint-Exupery, a renowned French writer and aviator, is celebrated as a legend and cultural hero in the French literary world. From a young age, Antoine displayed a unique blend of poetic sensibility and mechanical inventiveness, being particularly captivated by engineering and engineering drawings. His passion for flying led him to become a pilot for a prestigious airmail line, where he discovered his love for exploration and embarked on numerous voyages. It was during this time that Antoine found inspiration in his surroundings and began writing extensively. His most famous work, ‘The Little Prince’, solidified his status in the global literary community and posthumously earned him the title of a national hero in France. Despite his achievements, Antoine’s life was tragically cut short when he disappeared during a flight over occupied France in 1944. Although wreckage from his plane was discovered years later, the cause of the crash remains a mystery.
Quick Facts
- French Celebrities Born In June
- Also Known As: Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry
- Died At Age: 44
- Family: Spouse/Ex-: Consuelo Suncín de Sandoval (m. 1931)
- Born Country: France
- Poets
- Novelists
- Died on: July 31, 1944
- Place of death: Mediterranean Sea
- Notable Alumni: Lycée Saint-Louis
- Cause of Death: Aviation Accident And Incident
- City: Lyon, France
- More Facts
- Education: Lycée Saint-Louis
Childhood & Early Life
Antoine de Saint-Exupery was born into a poor aristocratic family of Count Jean de Saint-Exupery and Countess Marie de Fonscolombe. He was the third of their five children. However, his father’s untimely death caused financial hardship for the family. Antoine spent his childhood at the castle of Saint-Maurice-de-Remens and received his early education at Jesuit Schools in Montgre and Le Mans. He attended a Catholic boarding school in Switzerland in 1915, but had to leave in 1917 due to poor performance in his final examination. He then joined a naval preparatory academy, but also had to leave due to successive failures in the final examinations. He briefly pursued a course in architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, but gave it up after failing the examinations.
Career
In 1921, Antoine began his military training and was conscripted into the French air force near Strasbourg. However, he left the service after two years due to personal issues and took up odd jobs for the next few years. In 1926, he returned to his earlier profession as a pilot and joined a private airline called Aeropostale. He flew mail from Toulouse, France to Dakar, Senegal. In 1929, he was transferred to Argentina where he became the director of Aeroposta Argentina Company, a subsidiary of the French airmail carrier ‘Aeropostale’. In 1935, he survived a plane crash in the Sahara Desert and wrote about his near-death experience in his memoir ‘Wind, Sand and Stars’. During World War II, he initially served with the French Air Force, but after France’s armistice with Germany in 1940, he escaped to New York. He lived in New York between 1941 and 1943, during which he wrote extensively and emerged as a prolific writer. In 1943, he served in the Second World War with the United States’ troop and flew a famous French reconnaissance bomber. However, on the night of July 31, 1944, he set out on a mission and never returned, disappearing without a trace. The remains of his plane were found in 1998 and confirmed to be his in 2004.
Major Works
In 1929, Antoine published his first book, ‘Courrier Sud’ (Southern Mail), which was later adapted into a French film. In 1931, he released his second book, ‘Vol de Nuit’ (Night Flight), which became an international bestseller. In 1942, he published his memoir ‘Pilote de guerre’ (Flight to Arras) and ‘Lettre a un otage’ (Letter to a Hostage), both of which received critical acclaim. However, his most famous work is ‘The Little Prince’, which was published in 1943 and is considered one of his best classics.
Awards & Achievements
Antoine de Saint-Exupery received several awards and recognition for his literary works. In 1931, he earned the Prix Femina, a French literary prize, for his book ‘Vol de nuit’. He also won the Grand Prix du roman de l’Academie francaise and a US National Book Award in 1939 for his book ‘Wind, Sand and Stars’. In 1942, he received the Grand Prix Litteraire de l’Aero-Club de France for his book ‘Pilote de guerre’.
Personal Life & Legacy
In 1931, Antoine married Consuelo Gomez Carillo, a Salvadoran-French writer and artist. Their marriage was tumultuous and eventually ended due to Antoine’s involvement with other women. In 1993, the French government issued a commemorative bank note and coin featuring Antoine’s portrait and drawings from ‘The Little Prince’. In 1999, a plaque was placed at the family home of Charles de Konick in Quebec to commemorate Antoine’s stay during his lectures in Canada. In 2000, the Lyon Satolas Airport and a train station in Lyon were renamed in his honor. Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s legacy continues to be celebrated, and in 1975, an asteroid was named after him.