Stacy Schiff

Traces the life of the French author and pilot, depicts his complex personality, and looks at his contributions to the war effort.

A Biography

Saint-Exupery

Andrew John Kinney

As a child, I loved The Little Prince, and as a teenager I revisited it and saw it as the wonderful imaginative creation it is. Later, I read the book to my children, and though I knew a little about Saint-Exupery, my interest in him grew, and I bought this book to learn more. This has led, by the way to a lifelong interest in things French, which has been facilitated by my professional life; I have worked with Frenchmen and women on and off for the last twenty years, and have found them, despite American stereotypes, to be easier to work with than either Brits or Germans, and they are much better hosts as well. But I digress. Saint-Ex was a pioneer in aviation in France in the '20's and '30's, and he had many hair-raising experiences flying to French Morocco, and one of those experiences formed part of the basis for The Little Prince. Stacy Schiff was a finalist for the Pulitzer for this book, and won the prize for her next book, and this book is full of her deep thinking and wonderfully crafted prose. Schiff deals with his writing, of course, but she brings out his life as an aviator and a member of the Free French forces. Saint-Ex was a brave, principled man who died flying combat missions the month after D-Day in support of the invasion forces in southern France. But he was also a fun, humorous man who loved jokes, and was a good friend and husband. I loved this book, and as a reader, one ends up loving Saint-Ex as well. Actually, writing this long-delayed review has reminded me I need to read some more of Stacy Schiff's books, and maybe re-read her Saint-Exupery.

Saint-Exupery A Biography

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