Wartime Writings 1939-1944 [Paperback]

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Author), Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Author), Norah Purcell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 1990

This volume includes the aviator's letters to friends, autobiographical fragments, and meditations. Translated by Norah Purcell; Introduction by Anne Morrow Lindbergh; Index.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

These mostly private writings by the author of The Little Prince , who died on a reconnaissance flight in North Africa in 1944, reflect his mental torment over France's 1940 defeat and his own perceived exile, first in New York and then Algeria. PW maintained , "These edited fragments, philosophical and at times poetic, are intriguing, but add little to the literary stature of a legendary voice in aviation."
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (November 30, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156947404
• ISBN-13: 978-0156947404
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,049,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY (1900-1944) was born in Lyons, France. He took his first flight at the age of eleven, and became a pilot at twenty-six. He was a pioneer of international commercial aviation and flew in the Spanish Civil War and World War II. His writings include The Little Prince; Wind, Sand and Stars; and Southern Mail. In 1944, while serving with his French air squadron, he disappeared during a reconnaissance flight over the Mediterranean.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A peek inside, March 1, 2002

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John Lacey (San Luis Obispo, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wartime Writings 1939-1944 (Paperback)

I'm very much a fan of Saint-Exupéry. To be honest, I've found the Little Prince the least appealing of his works, and Wind, Sand, and Stars very definitely his best. I enjoyed this look behind the scenes, as it were, at his motivations, relations with his friends, and perhaps his less protected writings. He is apparently an inveterate rewriter, but I found his presumably less worked over letters equally appealing, with merits of their own.

I gave this only four stars because you should definitely read other books first, most notably Flight to Arras, written during the period covered by this book. But, and I hate to say this, I really did find his words on war, personal security, and what it means to be human to be very relevant after the terrorist attacks on the US. That part comes out more strongly here than in Flight to Arras.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, August 30, 2005

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Shawn M. Trautman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wartime Writings 1939-1944 (Paperback)

This is a fabulous collection of mostly letters written to and by Saint-Exupery during World War II. You really get to see the man in conflict, and how brave someone can truly be.

5.0 out of 5 stars wartime writings--saint exupery, August 22, 2010

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Denise E. Southwick (staunton, virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wartime Writings 1939-1944 (Paperback)

Product was in good shape..thank you very much as it is a gift for a History teacher.