First published in 1943, ‘The Little Prince’ is a novella and the most famous work by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It is a tender tale of friendship, love and loss. Originally published as Le Petit Prince, in French, it has been voted the best book of the 20th century in France. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a French writer, aviator, poet and author. Raised in an aristocratic family, he fell in love with aviation at an early age after taking his first airplane ride at the age of 12. He received his pilot’s wings during his compulsory military service in 1922, around which time he also began to write.

Translated into more than 250 languages and dialects selling over a million copies per year with sales totalling more than 140 million copies worldwide, it has become one of the best-selling books ever published.

The story is told by a narrator, who crashes in the Sahara and happens to meet a young boy called the ‘little prince’ who has golden hair and an endearing laugh. During the next eight days, while the narrator attempts to repair his plane, the little prince shares the story of his life. The little prince describes life on his tiny home planet—a little asteroid, which has three volcanoes and various plants. This delightful children’s fable makes insightful comments about life and human nature.