I have today seen a film about the life of one of my youth memories. "Vol de nuit" read when I was sixteen and just starting with French, when it was not obvious for a Belgian Néerlandophone to have already a fine grasp of the language of Voltaire. And of course his "Petit Prince", which i now learned is a posthumous work edited in New York by his fiancè of that time.
Already nearing 11 PM on the European peninsula, i will give more details tomorrow.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_de_Saint-Exup%C3%A9ry
And especially for Meles meles if he already can view again the boards, the documentary in French:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zgakkZzmOg


And with English subtitles...its free subscription, but I didn't tried, as I understand French...but for those who would try, on the first appearance it seems save...although it is a free subscription ...




Kind regards, Paul.

PaulRyckier wrote:

And of course his "Petit Prince", which i now learned is a posthumous work edited in New York by his fiancè of that time.

I was unaware of that Paul and it's certainly very interesting. One wonders how many other famous works by writers and artists etc. were in fact completed by others after their deaths. Off the top of my head I can think, for example, of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot which was completed by Franco Afano following Puccini's death in the 1920s. I'm sure there are quite a few other examples.

Maybe because he died relatively young, Saint-Exupéry seems to belong to another age and this fits with the 'dernier romantique' epitaph. Yet he was only 10 years older than Jacques-Yves Cousteau who lived nearly into the 21st century. Both Saint-Exupéry and Cousteau are examples of French adventurers whose names (for differing reasons) are well known in the English-speaking world and who have also gone a long way towards furthering (rightly or wrongly) in many Anglophone minds the sense that there is somehow an innate glamour with the French and in their approach to human endeavour. That said, it must be more than 30 years since I read any of Saint-Exupéry's work. I must go and dig out my copy of Night Flight (Vol de Nuit) if I can find it.

I agree, Viz. I read Terre Des Hommes when   about 16 and have a lasting impression of a philosophical dashing adventurer - who, I assumed must have been good looking too. I read Le Petit Prince at the same time and now recall being told of its origins but had forgotten that. I reread 'Terre' quite recently in an effort to brush up my French - somewhat surprised that I had once read it with such ease.

Vizzer wrote:

PaulRyckier wrote:

And of course his "Petit Prince", which i now learned is a posthumous work edited in New York by his fiancè of that time.

I was unaware of that Paul and it's certainly very interesting. One wonders how many other famous works by writers and artists etc. were in fact completed by others after their deaths. Off the top of my head I can think, for example, of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot which was completed by Franco Afano following Puccini's death in the 1920s. I'm sure there are quite a few other examples.

Maybe because he died relatively young, Saint-Exupéry seems to belong to another age and this fits with the 'dernier romantique' epitaph. Yet he was only 10 years older than Jacques-Yves Cousteau who lived nearly into the 21st century. Both Saint-Exupéry and Cousteau are examples of French adventurers whose names (for differing reasons) are well known in the English-speaking world and who have also gone a long way towards furthering (rightly or wrongly) in many Anglophone minds the sense that there is somehow an innate glamour with the French and in their approach to human endeavour. That said, it must be more than 30 years since I read any of Saint-Exupéry's work. I must go and dig out my copy of Night Flight (Vol de Nuit) if I can find it.

Vizzer,

with "posthumous" I meant that the manuscript of the "Peti Prince" was given to his fiancè in New York before leaving for Europe and she has plublished it after his dead. And I agree the word "posthumous" isn't accurate overhere. it's all in the documentary in French. I tried now the one with the English subtitles as it is the only one available (the others are taken away from internet). But when you subscribe for free they ask for your cardnumber and promise to not take money from it ...
In the meantime I found out that they have found the wreckage of the plane with which d'Exupéry lost his life...a sad story...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3621040/The-other-side-of-the-story.html


And "Le Petit Prince"




Kind regards, Paul.

Addendum to the previous message.

Vizzer,

doing research about the mystery of the dead of d'Exupéry I found even more questionmarks. It's all in French and gove only the links to substantiate my statements...
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luc_Vanrell
http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualites/2008/03/15/01001-20080315ARTFIG00396-c-est-moi-qui-ai-abattu-saint-exupery.php
And later it seems to be a hoax, the German pilot who so called downed the plane of d'Exupéry a mythomanian...
http://aventuresdelhistoire.blogspot.be/2008/03/quand-le-fig-mag-fait-du-merchandising.html
Returns the piste of the suicide or at least a kind of suicide...we will never know the truth...as there are so many pistes for the anormal behaviour of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's last day...
https://www.plus.randomania.fr/antoine-de-saint-exupery-la-verite-sur-sa-mort-60-ans-apres/


Kind regards, Paul.

Priscilla wrote:

I agree, Viz. I read Terre Des Hommes when   about 16 and have a lasting impression of a philosophical dashing adventurer - who, I assumed must have been good looking too. I read Le Petit Prince at the same time and now recall being told of its origins but had forgotten that. I reread 'Terre' quite recently in an effort to brush up my French - somewhat surprised that I had once read it with such ease.

Priscilla,

read "Le Petit Prince" I think at the age of sixteen too, as "Vol de Nuit". As I found "Vol de Nuit" a real interesting story and brought in splendid French I couldn't appreciate "The little Prince" not that much. I even skimmed trough it as I didn't understand where Saint d'Exupéry was up to. I understood it as moralizing but didn't see on the first sight what he wanted to prove...

As it seems to be the most translated work after the Bible there have to be something in it...
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Prince-Chinese-Antoine-Saint-Exupery/dp/7544711323
But perhaps nowedays the Bible isn't anymore as it was some decades ago...? And BTW in the Roman-Catholic countries the Bible is not that important, as it is the Church who reads the Bible and says then in the Catechism
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM

We had to learn in the time a very short version of the Catechism... I still remember what kind of waters one was allowed to use to baptize another new Christian...And they were all the same way that rigorous as I still suppose the Protestants are with their Bible...two beds from me in the hospital kidney dialysis three times a week 4 hours in the week there is a bloke now 86 and already 16 years at the dialysis...during these hours a lot of gossip pass between the beds...among others: that type wanted to get married in the Catholic Church because his future wife wanted it that way...the man went to the local priest and this one said that he had first to be baptized...and so he had to learn at the old age the Catechism and prove that he understood it...old memories came back to me...not sure if nowedays the "Clergy" would be that rigorous...as they "fish" for new adherents for the lack of newer stock...

OOPS, where was I   ...och yes "Le Petit Prince" but that will be for tomorrow...already nearly half past eleven PM on the European peninsula...

Kind regards from your friend, Paul.

Further about "Le Petit Prince", Priscilla.

As I said:
"read "Le Petit Prince" I think at the age of sixteen too, as "Vol de Nuit". As I found "Vol de Nuit" a real interesting story and brought in splendid French I couldn't appreciate "The little Prince" not that much. I even skimmed trough it as I didn't understand where Saint d'Exupéry was up to. I understood it as moralizing but didn't see on the first sight what he wanted to prove..."

But the day before yesterday listened to my link that I provided in my former message. And for the first time in my life heard the whole version of "Le Petit Prince".
Hesitating I am still not convinced about what Saint d'Exupéry wanted to learn to us. In my humble opinion I see a man wrestling with himself to seek for something worthwhile to live for...? a fear to participate in real life of the community of humans with all their flaws and oddities and to be a worthful access for some of them...? It is difficult to explain what I feel about the book....it is as if he explains how worthless it all is to try to do the right things in the environment of the grown up people...to contribute to society for the better of that society...and instead remain an harmless innocent child that stick to a self obliged duty...

Or have I misunderstood it all, Nordmann...

Kind regards to both of you, Paul.

Paul wrote:

Or have I misunderstood it all, Nordmann...

Haven't a clue, Paul. Never liked the story much or saw what all the fuss was about. All very French - overly complicated, pseudo-intellectual and gloomy, I always reckoned.

nordmann wrote:

Paul wrote:

Or have I misunderstood it all, Nordmann...

Haven't a clue, Paul. Never liked the story much or saw what all the fuss was about. All very French - overly complicated, pseudo-intellectual and gloomy, I always reckoned.

Nordmann,

"Haven't a clue, Paul."
I was begging for an answer to my despair. And thinking about you, Nordmann, the only one who could help me in my despair, nearly a God the Father for me, the allmighty, who always knows an intelligent and structured answer to all my questions ...
"All very French - overly complicated, pseudo-intellectual and gloomy, I always reckoned."
And now I am so glad that we as many times "sit" on the same wavelength...I like especially your "pseudo-intellectual and gloomy" description...I am always delighted with your wonderful Irish grasp of the English language...

Kind regards and with esteem, Paul.