Very surprised and sad to see so many dismissive comments of the book. It's a really popular one in France for a very good reason. It's so creative, poetic and touching that I doubt you can read it and stay indifferent.
If you've never read it, do yourself a favor and do so! It's quite short, and I hope you'll like it.
The book has been extremely transformative for me at multiple points in my life as I've aged. If I could only recommend a single piece of fiction, it would probably be The Little Prince.
I also highly recommend the 2015 animated film adaptation. It has a rock-solid cast, and presents the classic story within entirely new layers of interpretation that speak to multiple generations at once. It's a real tearjerker that only gets more potent with age.
I'm also not sure why so many commenters here seem confused or negative towards The Little Prince. It is a timeless, culture-invariant treatise on the most precious and important facets of human existence.
I my case, it is precisly said animated film. I don't remember why, but I found it incredibly off-putting for some reason. I think back on it every time someone brings up The Little Prince.
I would add that there is something in it for all ages. I have read it many times, between ages 6 and 25 and in different languages. The later readings were for language learning without any expectations but each time I finished it, I was deeply touched.
With that it’s also a great one to read with kids.
Well... enough bad memory of some teacher wanting us all to read and ponder this thing in class, seemingly with the confused notion that this would be some kind of lesson in psychology.
I think the author would be very surprised if he'd been there to see what amount of fluff has been generated around his nice and simple quasi-autobiographical codebook.
This problem plagues so many well-known works of literature. Modern American classics like The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird have also been forever tainted with unpleasant memories of high school classes.
This book got a bad reputation in Brazil because a famous actress (who supposedly isn't very bright) once said it was her favourite book.
When I finally decided to give it a try, I found it to be a very interesting read.
So, you can bet people who show disdain for it probably haven't read it. Or they have weak character and are afraid to be considered dumb by association.
There are probably more people around the world who know about The Little Prince from the distinctive illustrations that show up everywhere, than there are people who have actually read the book. It's like Peter Rabbit. Everyone instantly recognizes the illustrations, but often has a hard time explaining what the book was about.
There's something both beautiful/enchanting and deeply tragic about the story.
If anyone's interested in an analysis of Saint-Exupéry's psychology via the symbolism of The Little Prince, the book "The Problem of the Puer Aeternus" by Marie-Louise von Franz [1] is absolutely fascinating.
Yes! I didn't understand why I always found the Little Prince story (and by extension "alchemist") so repulsive, until I read that book. Little prince is aimed at people who have lost their idealistic youth qualities and seek to get back in touch with that part of themselves. I had the opposite problem - I never fully left that place.
It has one of my favorite quotes of all time. For those who haven’t read it yet, if the quote below resonates with you, the rest of the book surely will too.
“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add. But when there is nothing left to take away.”
It was one of my fondest memory of my first travel in Japan, we had no clue that such site was there, so when we took the bus from whatever train station to the onsen hotel, and we passed in front of it, as a French, it was jaw dropping to see such place. Even crazier was when we actually visited it, they really captured my home region. Unbelievable experience.
I recently bought this book for my kids. Somehow I've never read it in forty years. What's the big deal? It's gotta be the most famous book I've never read.
It's not a hard read, and probably would take most adults an hour or two. Maybe just go read it if you're curious, and if you don't like it then quit after a chapter or two.
I like it. I got a lot out of the encounter with the fox, specifically, and that helped me in how I relate to a lot of my friends and lovers.
I don't get it neither. I have learned French in school, I have read it in French and all... it just seems quite banal.
A content-personality mismatch I guess, and if that wasn't so, I might still prefer something that feels more weighty than that book.
It's one of those books that strike you with a completely different meaning when you read it as an adult, than when you read it as a child. Which probably contributes to its enduring charm across the generations. I think everyone should read it twice, but with at least 20 years between readings.
This is a sub plot in "Changing Places" by David Lodge. Hyper competitive professor of English wins dinner party game admitting major Canon work he hasn't read: gets terminated by head of department.
Out of curiosity, what cultural artifacts do you suppose people under thirty will consider worth passing on to their kids?
Not trying to be snarky. I think printed book culture led to some degree of consensus about books like The Little Prince. I’m not sure what replaces it.
I'm thirty and my sisters and my partner are in their twenties and we will probably all pass on books to our children if we have them.
Kids still interact with physical books. School libraries are a part of education here and the school kids visit them with their teacher at least once a month to borrow physical books.
Very well written and will be relevant for all ages for another 100 years. Very unsnoopy. (Although I’ve heard that pre-Snoopy Peanuts is excellent and deep)
As I mentioned in the thread on Peanuts two days ago, "pre-Snoopy Peanuts" consists of two total comic strips, which are neither excellent nor deep. There's not enough material for either to be possible.
There's a lot of Peanuts. Whatever you like or don't like about it, you can find examples of at any point in its history.
When people say "pre-Snoopy Peanuts" they don"t mean before the character existed at all but before the strip became focused on Snoopy and his wacky adventures in the mid 1970s and later. Early Peanuts was more focused on the melancholy aspects of childhood and was truly brilliant. This was lost later on.
Profound thoughts about the human condition don't become less profound when the next generation comes along. The Little Prince is no more "boomer" than, say, Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.
Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.
It's not that obscure, even in the US. Anyone who takes French in US high school has probably read it in French (it's very easy to read), and even in English it's one of the most common classic children's books.
Very surprised and sad to see so many dismissive comments of the book. It's a really popular one in France for a very good reason. It's so creative, poetic and touching that I doubt you can read it and stay indifferent.
If you've never read it, do yourself a favor and do so! It's quite short, and I hope you'll like it.
The book has been extremely transformative for me at multiple points in my life as I've aged. If I could only recommend a single piece of fiction, it would probably be The Little Prince.
I also highly recommend the 2015 animated film adaptation. It has a rock-solid cast, and presents the classic story within entirely new layers of interpretation that speak to multiple generations at once. It's a real tearjerker that only gets more potent with age.
I'm also not sure why so many commenters here seem confused or negative towards The Little Prince. It is a timeless, culture-invariant treatise on the most precious and important facets of human existence.
I my case, it is precisly said animated film. I don't remember why, but I found it incredibly off-putting for some reason. I think back on it every time someone brings up The Little Prince.
I'm curious what you found off-putting about it, if you don't mind elaborating :)
You want each emotion with assigned numerical value from 0 to 10, I presume...
And outside France too!
I would add that there is something in it for all ages. I have read it many times, between ages 6 and 25 and in different languages. The later readings were for language learning without any expectations but each time I finished it, I was deeply touched.
With that it’s also a great one to read with kids.
Well... enough bad memory of some teacher wanting us all to read and ponder this thing in class, seemingly with the confused notion that this would be some kind of lesson in psychology.
I think the author would be very surprised if he'd been there to see what amount of fluff has been generated around his nice and simple quasi-autobiographical codebook.
This problem plagues so many well-known works of literature. Modern American classics like The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird have also been forever tainted with unpleasant memories of high school classes.
This book got a bad reputation in Brazil because a famous actress (who supposedly isn't very bright) once said it was her favourite book.
When I finally decided to give it a try, I found it to be a very interesting read.
So, you can bet people who show disdain for it probably haven't read it. Or they have weak character and are afraid to be considered dumb by association.
I grew up in Brazil and never heard that the Little Prince had a bad reputation there. Quite the contrary, at least in my circle of people.
Your comment made me think of Charli XCX's recent post https://itscharlibb.substack.com/p/the-realities-of-being-a-...
Who was the actress?
Vera Fischer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Fischer_%28actress%29
There are probably more people around the world who know about The Little Prince from the distinctive illustrations that show up everywhere, than there are people who have actually read the book. It's like Peter Rabbit. Everyone instantly recognizes the illustrations, but often has a hard time explaining what the book was about.
There's something both beautiful/enchanting and deeply tragic about the story.
If anyone's interested in an analysis of Saint-Exupéry's psychology via the symbolism of The Little Prince, the book "The Problem of the Puer Aeternus" by Marie-Louise von Franz [1] is absolutely fascinating.
[1]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1404609.The_Problem_of_t...
Yes! I didn't understand why I always found the Little Prince story (and by extension "alchemist") so repulsive, until I read that book. Little prince is aimed at people who have lost their idealistic youth qualities and seek to get back in touch with that part of themselves. I had the opposite problem - I never fully left that place.
It has one of my favorite quotes of all time. For those who haven’t read it yet, if the quote below resonates with you, the rest of the book surely will too.
“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add. But when there is nothing left to take away.”
It is relevant in so many contexts in life.
One of the best pieces of advice about software engineering as well.
Pseudointellectuality. It sounds profound at first, but it's wrong.
You may not be able to remove anything, but that doesn’t mean nothing needs to be added, ergo it’s not perfection.
This book and its cartoon adaptations have been amazing. I am not French, still it touches amongst cultures.
I make sure I read the little prince once every 10 years.
Every time I do so, I learn something new.
There was one in Hakone, Japan which opened in 1999 and closed in 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_The_Little_Prince_in...
It was one of my fondest memory of my first travel in Japan, we had no clue that such site was there, so when we took the bus from whatever train station to the onsen hotel, and we passed in front of it, as a French, it was jaw dropping to see such place. Even crazier was when we actually visited it, they really captured my home region. Unbelievable experience.
Oh, it closed? That's too bad! We visited it when we were in Hakone in 2017—it was a remarkable experience finding it in Japan!
I recently bought this book for my kids. Somehow I've never read it in forty years. What's the big deal? It's gotta be the most famous book I've never read.
It's not a hard read, and probably would take most adults an hour or two. Maybe just go read it if you're curious, and if you don't like it then quit after a chapter or two.
I like it. I got a lot out of the encounter with the fox, specifically, and that helped me in how I relate to a lot of my friends and lovers.
Read it with or to your kids. It is an adult book just as much as it is a children’s book. Something there for all stages of life.
I don't get it neither. I have learned French in school, I have read it in French and all... it just seems quite banal. A content-personality mismatch I guess, and if that wasn't so, I might still prefer something that feels more weighty than that book.
It's one of those books that strike you with a completely different meaning when you read it as an adult, than when you read it as a child. Which probably contributes to its enduring charm across the generations. I think everyone should read it twice, but with at least 20 years between readings.
It takes less than 2 hours to read, why don't you find out yourself lol
This is a sub plot in "Changing Places" by David Lodge. Hyper competitive professor of English wins dinner party game admitting major Canon work he hasn't read: gets terminated by head of department.
And what do you do here?
- I scroll
Why do you scroll?
- To forget
To forget what?
- That I am boring and bored
Why are you boring and bored?
- Because I scroll!
How relevant is this to people under thirty? This screams “boomer last gasp” to me. Like snoopy
Out of curiosity, what cultural artifacts do you suppose people under thirty will consider worth passing on to their kids?
Not trying to be snarky. I think printed book culture led to some degree of consensus about books like The Little Prince. I’m not sure what replaces it.
I'm thirty and my sisters and my partner are in their twenties and we will probably all pass on books to our children if we have them.
Kids still interact with physical books. School libraries are a part of education here and the school kids visit them with their teacher at least once a month to borrow physical books.
The Little Prince was published before the baby boom. I am a millennial. We've read it to our gen alpha kid. We have it in three languages.
Very well written and will be relevant for all ages for another 100 years. Very unsnoopy. (Although I’ve heard that pre-Snoopy Peanuts is excellent and deep)
As I mentioned in the thread on Peanuts two days ago, "pre-Snoopy Peanuts" consists of two total comic strips, which are neither excellent nor deep. There's not enough material for either to be possible.
There's a lot of Peanuts. Whatever you like or don't like about it, you can find examples of at any point in its history.
When people say "pre-Snoopy Peanuts" they don"t mean before the character existed at all but before the strip became focused on Snoopy and his wacky adventures in the mid 1970s and later. Early Peanuts was more focused on the melancholy aspects of childhood and was truly brilliant. This was lost later on.
Profound thoughts about the human condition don't become less profound when the next generation comes along. The Little Prince is no more "boomer" than, say, Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.
Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.
I've never heard of Little Prince before. I don't think it's as popular as the article claims.
Based on approximate sales figures, it's one of the top-selling books of all time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_literary_works_by_numb...
This is the second most translated book after the Bible
And the Bible had quite a head start!
> I've never heard of Little Prince before.
interesting. may I ask which region of the world you live in?
> I don't think it's as popular as the article claims.
that may be telling more about the region you live or yourself.
I suggest go to it's Wikipedia article and check the books impact.
ps: and to get a physical copy and to read it...
It was even taught in all schools in Iran!
America, could this be a European thing?
I am also American (born and raised in Chile). The Little Prince is extremely well-known over there. I am personally very fond of it.
I lived in America (NJ and CA) for 25 years and plenty of people knew about The Little Prince.
I've even seen people wearing shirts with the drawing of the snake that ate the elephant.
Apparently James Dean loved the book from an early age, so guessing it must have had some popularity in the USA.
It's not that obscure, even in the US. Anyone who takes French in US high school has probably read it in French (it's very easy to read), and even in English it's one of the most common classic children's books.
I live in the Netherlands for almost 50 years and never heard of it either.