The Little Prince
A magical odyssey for children and adults alike.
I don’t know how I hadn’t encountered The Little Prince before now but in my efforts to grow my own library notably full to the brim with Penguin Clothbound Classics, this is the first time I’ve come across it.
In recent weeks I’ve been granting myself permission to add to the aforementioned linen-clad collection by buying one of their number anytime I happen to pass a bookshop. It’s not the most economic way of going about gathering the full set of 90 something books honestly, but I am happy at least to be supporting independent book shops in the process.
As ever, I make my selections intuitively from whichever ones they have available and The Little Prince leapt out to me a couple of weeks ago — and no wonder. For those like me that have been living under a meteor and don’t know it, it is a gorgeously sweet, delicate and magical literary gem. More than being totally up my street, it captures something of my childlike internal universe. Even the author’s dedication (which I have included) mirrors precisely what I’m hoping to achieve with these weekly readings so I immediately knew I had to share it here.
The Little Prince is ethereal and dreamlike, innocent too, in a way that I find hugely relatable, with a refreshingly honest aviator come would-be artist as its narrator. It has a Pixar quality of agelessness plus gorgeous illustration, with something for the reader whatever their stage of life (especially the nostalgia-prone) so I think this might be one I have to go the whole hog with, start at the beginning and take us through to the end. I have recorded the first three chapters here in any case to keep things open, so let’s see where the adventure takes us!
NB. In the edition I have, there is a lengthy introduction and also an additional short story by the author (Letter To A Hostage) which is considered a companion piece by many though certainly far more geared toward the adult readers amongst us. If we reach the end I think I might include this one too, or at least the first part of the main introduction maybe - I personally always think you get more out of introductions if you read them at the end, once you know the piece more intimately. Like peering behind the scenes at the end of the show so the magic isn’t dispelled. I read the introduction for the first time myself yesterday, just before I did my recording and a full body shiver washed over me. There is something of the self-fulfilling prophecy of The Little Prince in the writer’s own story which I hadn’t known before, it feels strangely aligned with a piece on Ayrton Senna - the man and the movie - that I published just two days ago. Got to love that synchronicity! Wanted to share.
Anyway, here we are, happy listening! Please forgive my stumbles on the recording. I decided to keep them in rather than keep re-recording, though I did attempt a few! Inevitably the first take felt much fresher though, and far more authentic for my taste so I went with that one in the end. I also realise my naive error in choosing to read a children’s/ picture book for this medium but I have tried as far as possible to include the illustrations as Antoine de Saint-Exupery intended. Perhaps I will upgrade to full video reads in the future where possible…
Thank you so much for being here. If you enjoyed this piece and would like to support my work, the best way is by taking out a paid subscription. Gift subscriptions are also available.
The Little Prince Part 1
Antoine de Saint Exupery
Were you already an avid fan of The Little Prince or a total newbie like me? Do you know Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s story? Have you read Letter To A Hostage? I’d love to hear from you. The more I read this, the more it reminds me of Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist for some reason, which I’m long overdue a re-read of so that might have to feature on here soon, too. Let me know what you think!
If you’d like to purchase any of the works featured on A Little Night Music, I have put together a selection on my Bookshop.org page <3
Enjoy my writing and want to support it? Become a paid subscriber today. You’ll get full access to in-depth articles, inspirational tools, thoughtful community discussions, arts and meditation related gatherings, plus the full back catalogue of archived posts. You can also “like” my posts by tapping the heart icon, share them on Substack Notes or other social media, and/or send them to a friend.