A tale of human vulnerability

Written and illustrated by the French pilot, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry novella The Little Prince is a classic that spans generations. It is the bestseller most translated work after the Bible. Every child reads it with joy, and every adult discusses its philosophy.

- SUDHA DEVI NAYAK

The New York Times says, “There are few stories which, in some way, in some degree, change the world forever for their readers. This is one.” Katherine Woods gave us the original translation of the book in 1943, and though there have been other translations, hers is considered the definitive English translation. Her poetic translation perfectly captures the enchanted storytelling of Saint-Exupéry. It addresses the human predicament with themes of love, loneliness, friendship, and loss within a fable.

The book begins with the author's plane crash in the Sahara, and he must fix his plane before he runs out of his supply of water. Here, he chances upon the Little Prince, who comes up with a strange request: “If you please, draw me a sheep.” After several attempts, he draws a picture of a plain box, where the sheep is supposed to be sleeping inside. The Prince is satisfied, and thus begins a friendship between the narrator and the Little Prince. The Prince claims to have come from an asteroid scarcely bigger than a small house that contains three volcanoes—one of them extinct—a rose that he is in love with, and baobab trees that threaten to overrun and destroy his planet. About his rose, he says, “She chose her colors with the greatest care. She dressed herself slowly, adjusting her petals one by one. She did not go out into the world all rumpled like the field poppies. It was only in the full radiance and her beauty that she wished to appear.”