The Little Prince

This article is about the novella. For other uses, see Little Prince.

The Little Prince
AuthorAntoine de Saint-Exupéry
Original titleLe Petit Prince
Translator(English editions)
IllustratorAntoine de Saint-Exupéry
Cover artistAntoine de Saint-Exupéry
LanguageFrench
GenreScience fantasy
PublisherReynal & Hitchcock (U.S.)
Gallimard (France)[8]
Publication date
April 1943 (U.S.: English & French)
1945 (France: French)[8][Note 1]
Publication placeFrance
AwardsLe Monde's 100 Books of the Century
Preceded byPilote de guerre (1942) 
Followed byLettre à un otage [fr] (1944) 

The Little Prince (French: Le Petit Prince, pronounced [lə p(ə)ti pʁɛ̃s]) is a novella written and illustrated by French writer and military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was first published in English and French in the United States by Reynal & Hitchcock in April 1943 and was published posthumously in France following liberation; Saint-Exupéry's works had been banned by the Vichy Regime. The story follows a young prince who visits various planets, including Earth, and addresses themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. Despite its style as a children's book, The Little Prince makes observations about life, adults, and human nature.[9]

The Little Prince became Saint-Exupéry's most successful work, selling an estimated 140 million copies worldwide, which makes it one of the best-selling in history.[10][11][12][Note 2][14] The book has been translated into over 505 different languages and dialects worldwide, being the second most translated work ever published, trailing only the Bible.[15][16][17] The Little Prince has been adapted to numerous art forms and media, including audio recordings, radio plays, live stage, film, television, ballet, and opera.[16][18]

  1. ^ de Saint-Exupéry & Woods 1943.
  2. ^ genome.ch.bbc.co.uk, accessed 9 October 2021
  3. ^ de Saint-Exupéry & Cuffe 2006.
  4. ^ de Saint-Exupéry & Morpurgo 2018.
  5. ^ de Saint-Exupéry & Testot-Ferry 2018.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference NST was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ de Saint-Exupéry & Norminton 2019.
  8. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference LePetitPrince.net.b was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference New Yorker-2014.04.29 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference TimesTribune-2012.05.03 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTimes-2000.05.09 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Goding-1972 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference LittlePrince.com-a was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fast Company-2014.01.31 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "'The Little Prince' becomes world's most translated book, excluding religious works". CTV News. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  16. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NYTimes-2005.04.03 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference Peak-2011.03 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference Statesman-2010.01.14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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