Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900–1944) is an aviator, civil and military pilot, thinker-humanist, inventor, talented writer and poet, author of poetical prose including “the fairytale of fairytales” The Little Prince which principal commandment is known to any contemporary person: “You are responsible, forever, for what you have tamed”… Enamored of the sky, Exupéry flew by planes of different types around the world describing his travels in books which are today classics of French literature of the XX century.

The anniversary book exhibition “Celestial bird with an earthy fate” includes about 80 editions: collections, selected works, notes, essays, reports, letters, short stories, novels, and also editions about the writer’s life and creative career.

The exposition features collections Southern Mail. Night Flight. Terre des Hommes. Flight to Arras. The Little Prince. Citadel (2007); Citadel (2001) which contains, along with the author’s popular works, the rare Military Notes. 1939–1944» (1986); A Sense of Life (2013) – a unique collection of articles which was compiled by French editor Claude Reynal and first appeared fifty years ago in France. Single editions of Flight to Arras (2007), Terre des Hommes (2004), Citadel (2007), The Little Prince (different imprint dates) are also on display.

The offered exhibition presents interesting editions about the creativity, outlook and life of the legendary writer, in particular, the book by Cate Curtis (2003) in which the author, adhering to actual accuracy, discovers new features in the canonical image of Exupéry.

The Tale of the Rose (2006) by the writer’s wife Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry contains the memoirs which have been kept in her archive for decades. A dramatic and fascinating story of the union of two talented people is portrayed in the book.

The mystery of Saint-Exupéry (2011) by French journalist and literary critic Jean-Claude Perrier is a unique literary investigation where the author tries to unveil the mystery of the writer’s death and shows his amazing life.

The exhibition is designed for wide audience.

The exposition is located on the 3rd floor in the circular corridor and will run from April 3rd to June 30th.