Antoine de Saint-Exupery, short biography. Antoine de Saint-Exupery short biography Short biography of antoine de saint

ANTOINE MARIE JEAN-BAPTISTE

ROGER DE SAINT-EXUPERY

(1900 - 1944)

Gray walls covered with ivy, a high stone tower - in the early Middle Ages it was built from large round boulders, and rebuilt in the 18th century.

In the city of Lyon, in the castle of Saint-Maurice de Reman, the childhood of the young Count Tonio de Saint-Exupery, that was the name of his relatives, passed.

The little count loved everything that surrounded him, and everyone loved him. He disappeared into the field, went on long hikes with the forester and thought that this would continue forever.

Until the age of 16, the young count lived completely carefree - Tonio brought animals home, fiddled with models of motors, teased his brother and harassed the sisters' teacher. The mice ran all the time - and he brought a white rat to the castle.

Then he began to collect mechanisms. The telephone made of tins and cans worked perfectly, and the steam engine exploded right in his hands - he lost consciousness from horror and pain.Then Tonio became addicted to hypnosis and terrorized his grandmother, who adored sweets.

Antoine was mischievous and charming - well-built, strong, with a light blond curly head and a cute upturned nose ...

The children were more often taken care of by a governess, at home holidays they danced, dressed in camisoles of the 18th century; they were brought up in closed colleges - Antoine completed his education in Switzerland ...

Childhood is over - and with him the former golden-haired Tonio disappeared. Antoine stretched out, his hair straightened, his eyes widened, his eyebrows blackened - now he looked like an owlet. A clumsy, shy, impoverished, not adapted to independent life, entered the big world.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery was drafted into the army. He chose aviation and went to serve in Strasbourg.

When the estate of his family was completely ruined, Antoine got a job in an airline.

The director sent the Comte de Saint-Exupery to the mechanics, where he happily began to fiddle with the motors, getting his hands dirty in grease: for the first time since the castle of Saint-Maurice de Reman, he felt truly happy.His service as a reconnaissance aircraft pilot was a constant challenge to common sense: Saint-Exupéry had difficulty cramming his overweight body, broken in numerous catastrophes, into a cramped cabin; on the ground he suffered from the 40-degree Algerian heat; in the sky, at an altitude of ten thousand meters, - from pain in poorly fused bones.

He was too old for military aviation, attention and reaction let him down - Saint-Exupery crippled expensive planes, miraculously remaining alive, but with stubbornness he again rose into the sky. It ended the way it should have ended: in the French aviation units, an order was read out about the feat and the award of Major de Saint-Exupery, who had disappeared without a trace.

The world has lost an amazingly bright person. The little prince fled from Earth to his planet: a single rose seemed to him more precious than all the riches of the Earth. Saint-Exupery also had such a planet: he constantly recalled his childhood - a lost paradise, where there was no return.

The pilot of the Messerschmitt, which was patrolling this area, reported that he shot an unarmed Lightning P-38 (exactly the same as that of Saint-Exupery), - the wrecked plane turned away, smoked and crashed into the sea. But the army did not credit him with the victory: there were no witnesses to the battle, and the wreckage of the downed aircraft was not found.

And the beautiful legend about the writer-pilot who disappeared in the skies of France, the man whom the Arabs called the Captain of the Birds, continued to live: he disappeared, disappeared into the Mediterranean azure, went towards the stars - just like his Little Prince ...

Antoine de Saint-Exupery is a writer whose name is known to everyone who is familiar with the book "The Little Prince". The biography of the author of an unforgettable work is full of incredible events and coincidences, because his main activity was related to aviation.

Childhood and youth

The full name of the writer is Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger de Saint-Exupery. As a child, the boy's name was Tony. He was born on June 29, 1900 in Lyon, in a noble family, and was the 3rd child of 5 children. The head of the family died when little Tony was 4 years old. The family was left without funds and moved to the aunt, who lived in Bellecour Square. Money was sorely lacking, but this was compensated by the friendship between brothers and sisters. Antoine was especially close to his brother Francois.

The mother instilled in the child a love of books and literature, talking about the value of art. Her tender friendship with her son is reminiscent of published letters. Interested in the lessons of his mother, the boy was also fond of technology and chose what he wanted to devote himself to.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery studied at a Christian school in Lyon, and then at a Jesuit school in Montreux. At the age of 14, through the efforts of his mother, he was sent to a Swiss Catholic boarding school. In 1917, Antoine entered the Faculty of Architecture at the Paris School of Fine Arts. A bachelor with a diploma in his hands was preparing to enter the Naval Lyceum, but failed in the competitive selection. A heavy loss for Antoine was the death of his brother from articular rheumatism. He experienced the loss of a loved one, withdrawing into himself.

Aviation

Antoine dreamed of the sky since childhood. For the first time, he was in flight at the age of 12 thanks to the famous pilot Gabriel Wroblewski, who took him away for fun to the airfield in Amberye. The impressions received by the young man were enough to understand what would become the goal of his whole life.


Antoine de Saint-Exupery

1921 changed a lot in Antoine's life. After being drafted into the army, he completed aerobatics courses and became a member of an aviation regiment in Strasbourg. At first, the young man was a non-flying soldier of the workshop at the airfield, but soon became the owner of a civil pilot's certificate. Later, Exupery upgraded his skills to a military pilot.

After completing his officer courses, Antoine flew with the rank of second lieutenant and served in the 34th regiment. After an unsuccessful flight in 1923, Exupery, having received a head injury, left aviation. The pilot settled in Paris and decided to try himself in the literary field. Success did not come. To earn a living, Exupery was forced to sell cars, work in a tile factory, and even sell books.


It soon became clear that Antoine was no longer capable of leading such a lifestyle. He was rescued by a chance acquaintance. In 1926, the young pilot received a position as a mechanic in the Aeroposhtal airline, and later became a pilot of an aircraft delivering mail. During this period of time, "Southern Postal" was written. Following the new increase, another transfer followed. Having become the head of the airport in Cap Juby, located in the Sahara, Antoine took up creativity.

In 1929, a talented specialist was transferred to the position of director of the Aeropostal branch, and Exupery moved to Buenos Aires to lead the entrusted department. It operated regular flights over Casablanca. The company, for the benefit of which the writer worked, soon went bankrupt, so from 1931 Antoine worked again in Europe.


At first he worked on postal airlines, and then began to combine his main job with a parallel direction, becoming a test pilot. On one of the tests, the plane crashed. Exupery survived thanks to the operational work of divers.

The life of the writer was connected with extreme sports, and he was not afraid to take risks. Participating in the development of a high-speed flight project, Antoine acquired an aircraft for operation on the Paris-Saigon line. The ship had an accident in the desert. Exupery survived by chance. He and the mechanic, who were on their last legs from thirst, were saved by the Bedouins.


The worst accident that the writer was in was a plane crash during a flight from New York to the territory of Tierra del Fuego. After him, the pilot was in a coma for several days, having received a head and shoulder injury.

In the 1930s, Antoine became interested in journalism and became a correspondent for the newspaper Paris Soir. In the status of a representative of the Entransition newspaper, Exupery was at war in Spain. He also fought against the Nazis in World War II.

Books

Exupery wrote his first work in college in 1914. They became the fairy tale "Odyssey of the cylinder." The author's talent was appreciated, having awarded 1st place in a literary competition. In 1925, at his cousin's house, Antoine met popular authors and publishers of the time. They were delighted with the talent of the young man and offered cooperation. Already next year, the story "Pilot" was published on the pages of the Silver Ship magazine.


Exupery's works are associated with the sky and aviation. The writer had two vocations, and he shared with the public the perception of the world through the eyes of a pilot. The author talked about his philosophy, which allowed the reader to take a different look at life. That is why Exupery's statements on the pages of his works are now used as quotations.

Being a pilot of the Aeropostal, the pilot did not think of stopping his literary activity. Returning to his native France, he signed a contract with the publishing house of Gaston Gallimard to create and publish 7 novels. Exupery the writer existed in close collaboration with Exupery the pilot.


In 1931, the author received the Femina Prize for Night Flight, and in 1932 a film was made based on the work. The accident in the Libyan desert and the adventures that the pilot experienced while wandering through it, he described in the novel "Land of people" ("Planet of people"). The work was also based on emotions from acquaintance with the Stalinist regime in the Soviet Union.

The novel "Military Pilot" became an autobiographical work. The author was influenced by experiences associated with participation in the Second World War. Banned in France, the book was an incredible success in the United States. Representatives of an American publishing house ordered a fairy tale from Exupery. So the world saw the "Little Prince", accompanied by the author's illustrations. He brought the writer world fame.

Personal life

At the age of 18, Antoine fell in love with Louise Vilmorne. The daughter of wealthy parents did not pay attention to the courtship of an ardent young man. After the plane crash, the girl deleted him from her life. The pilot took the romantic failure as a real tragedy. Unrequited love tormented him. Even fame and success did not change the attitude of Louise, who remained impartial.


Exupery enjoyed the attention of ladies, charming with an attractive appearance and charm, but was in no hurry to build a personal life. The approach to the man was found by Consuelo Sunsin. According to one version, Consuelo and Antoine met in Buenos Aires through a mutual friend. The woman's ex-husband, writer Gomez Carillo, has died. She found solace in an affair with a pilot.

A magnificent wedding took place in 1931. The marriage was not easy. Consuelo constantly rolled scandals. She had a bad character, but the intelligence and education of her wife pleased Antoine. The writer, adoring his wife, endured what was happening.

Death

The death of Antoine de Saint-Exupery was shrouded in a veil of secrecy. During the Second World War, he considered it his duty to uphold the honor of the country. For health reasons, the pilot was assigned to the ground regiment, but Antoine connected the communications and ended up in the flight reconnaissance squad.


On July 31, 1944, he did not return from the flight and was listed as missing. In 1988, near Marseille, they found a writer's bracelet engraved with the name of his wife, and in 2000, parts of the plane he flew. In 2008, it became known that the cause of the writer's death was an attack by a German pilot. The pilot of an enemy aircraft, years later, publicly admitted this. 60 years after the crash, photos from the crash site were published.


The writer's bibliography is small, but it contains a description of a bright and adventurous life. The brave pilot and kind writer of the 20th century lived and died with dignity. Lyon Airport was named in his memory.

Bibliography

  • 1929 - "Southern Postal"
  • 1931 - "Post - to the south"
  • 1938 - "Night Flight"
  • 1938 - Planet of the People
  • 1942 - "Military pilot"
  • 1943 - "Letter to a hostage"
  • 1943 - "The Little Prince"
  • 1948 - "Citadel"

Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger de Saint-Exupery (fr. Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger de Saint-Exupery) was born on June 29, 1900 in Lyon (France) into an aristocratic family. He was the third child of Comte Jean de Saint-Exupéry.

The father died when Antoine was four years old, and the mother was engaged in raising the boy. He spent his childhood in the estate of Saint-Maurice near Lyon, which belonged to his grandmother.

In 1909-1914, Antoine and his younger brother François studied at the Jesuit College of Le Mans, then at a private school in Switzerland.

Having received a bachelor's degree at the college, Antoine studied for several years at the Academy of Arts in the architectural department, then he entered the aviation troops as a private. In 1923 he was issued a pilot's license.

In 1926, he was accepted into the service of the General Company of Aviation Enterprises, owned by the famous designer Latecoer. In the same year, Antoine de Saint-Exupery's first story, The Pilot, appeared in print.

Saint-Exupery flew on the Toulouse-Casablanca, Casablanca-Dakar postal lines, then became the head of the airfield at the Cap-Juby fort in Morocco (part of this territory belonged to the French) - on the border of the Sahara.

In 1929, he returned to France for six months and signed an agreement with the book publisher Gaston Guillimar for the publication of seven novels, in the same year the novel Southern Postal was published. In September 1929, Saint-Exupéry was appointed director of the Buenos Aires branch of the French airline Aeropostal Argentina.

In 1930 he was promoted to the Order of the Legion of Honor of France, and at the end of 1931 he won the prestigious Femina literary prize for his novel Night Flight (1931).

In 1933-1934, he was a test pilot, made a number of long-distance flights, suffered accidents, and was seriously wounded several times.

In 1934, he filed the first application for the invention of a new aircraft landing system (in total, he had 10 inventions at the level of scientific and technological achievements of his time).

In December 1935, during a long flight from Paris to Saigon, Antoine de Saint-Exupery's plane crashed in the Libyan desert, he miraculously survived.

From the mid-1930s he worked as a journalist: in April 1935, as a special correspondent for the newspaper Paris-Soir, he visited Moscow and described this visit in several essays; in 1936, being a front-line correspondent, he wrote a series of military reports from Spain, where the civil war was going on.

In 1939, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was promoted to officer of the Legion of Honor of France. In February, his book "Planet of People" (in Russian translation - "Land of People"; American title - "Wind, Sand and Stars"), which is a collection of autobiographical essays, was published. The book was awarded the French Academy Prize and the National Prize of the Year in the United States.

When the Second World War began, Captain Saint-Exupery was mobilized into the army, but he was recognized as fit only for service on the ground. Using all his connections, Saint-Exupery achieved an appointment in an aviation reconnaissance group.

In May 1940, on a Blok-174 aircraft, he made a reconnaissance flight over Arras, for which he was awarded the Military Cross for Military Merit.

After the occupation of France by Nazi troops in 1940, he emigrated to the United States.

In February 1942, his book "Military Pilot" was published in the United States and was a great success, after which Saint-Exupery received an order from Reynal-Hitchhock publishing house to write a fairy tale for children in late spring. He signed a contract and began work on the philosophical and lyrical fairy tale "The Little Prince" with author's illustrations. In April 1943, "The Little Prince" was published in the United States, in the same year the story "Letter to a Hostage" was published. Then Saint-Exupery worked on the story "The Citadel" (not finished, published in 1948).

In 1943, Saint-Exupéry left America for Algiers, where he underwent medical treatment, from where he joined his air group based in Morocco in the summer. After great difficulties in obtaining permission to fly, thanks to the support of influential figures in the French resistance, Saint-Exupery was allowed to carry out five reconnaissance flights with aerial photography of enemy communications and troops in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bhis native Provence.

On the morning of July 31, 1944, Saint-Exupéry, on a Lightning P-38 aircraft equipped with a camera and not armed, went on a reconnaissance flight from the Borgo airfield on the island of Corsica. His task in that sortie was to collect intelligence in preparation for the landing operation in the south of France, occupied by the fascist invaders. The aircraft did not return to base and its pilot was declared missing.

Searches for the remains of the aircraft were carried out for many years, only in 1998 Marseille fisherman Jean-Claude Bianco accidentally discovered a silver bracelet near Marseille with the name of the writer and his wife Consuelo.

In May 2000, professional diver Luc Vanrel told the authorities that he had found the remains of the plane on which Saint-Exupery made his last flight at a depth of 70 meters. From November 2003 to January 2004, a special expedition removed the remains of the aircraft from the bottom, and on one of the parts they managed to find the marking "2374 L", which corresponded to the Saint-Exupery aircraft.

In March 2008, 88-year-old Horst Rippert, a former Luftwaffe pilot, claimed that he had shot down the plane. Rippert's statements are confirmed by some information from other sources, but at the same time, no records were found in the journals of the German Air Force about the plane shot down that day in the area where Saint-Exupery disappeared, the fragments of his plane found did not have obvious signs of shelling.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was married to the widow of the Argentine journalist Consuelo Suntzin (1901-1979). After the disappearance of the writer, she lived in New York, then moved to France, where she was known as a sculptor and artist. She devoted a lot of time to perpetuating the memory of Saint-Exupery.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Antoine de Saint-Exupery (fr. Antoine de Saint-Exupry) (June 29, 1900, Lyon, France - July 31, 1944) - French writer and professional pilot.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery was born in the French city of Lyon, in the family of a provincial nobleman (count). At the age of four, he lost his father. The upbringing of little Antoine was carried out by his mother. Exupery graduated from the Jesuit school in Montreux, studied at a Catholic boarding school in Switzerland, and in 1917 entered the Paris School of Fine Arts at the Faculty of Architecture.

The turning point in his fate was 1921 - then he was drafted into the army and got into pilot courses. A year later, Exupery received a pilot's license and moved to Paris, where he turned to writing. However, in this field, at first he did not win laurels for himself and was forced to take on any job: he traded cars, was a salesman in a bookstore.

Only in 1925, Exupery found his calling - he became a pilot of the Aeropostal company, which delivered mail to the northern coast of Africa. Two years later he was appointed head of the airport in Cap Juby, on the very edge of the Sahara, and there he finally found that inner peace, which his later books are filled with.

In 1929, Exupery took charge of his airline's branch in Buenos Aires; in 1931 he returned to Europe, again flew on postal lines, was also a test pilot, and from the mid-1930s. acted as a journalist, in particular, in 1935 he visited Moscow as a correspondent and described this visit in five interesting essays. He also went to war in Spain as a correspondent. Fought with the Nazis Saint-Exupery from the first days of the Second World War, and on July 31, 1944, he left the airfield on the island of Sardinia on a reconnaissance flight - and did not return.

For a long time, nothing was known about his death. And only in 1998, in the sea near Marseille, one fisherman discovered a bracelet. It had several inscriptions: "Antoine", "Consuelo" (that was the name of the pilot's wife) and "c/o Reynal & Hitchcock, 386, 4th Ave. NYC USA. This was the address of the publishing house where Saint-Exupery's books were published. In May 2000, diver Luc Vanrel announced that he had found the wreckage of an aircraft at a depth of 70 meters, possibly belonging to Saint-Exupery. The remains of the aircraft were scattered over a strip a kilometer long and 400 meters wide. Almost immediately, the French government banned any searches in the area. Permission was received only in the fall of 2003. Specialists raised fragments of the aircraft. One of them turned out to be part of the cockpit, the serial number of the aircraft was preserved: 2734-L. According to the American military archives, scientists compared all the numbers of aircraft that disappeared during this period. So, it turned out that the onboard serial number 2734-L corresponds to the aircraft, which was listed in the US Air Force under the number 42-68223, that is, the Lockheed P-38 Lightning aircraft, modification F-4 (long-range photographic reconnaissance aircraft), which was flown by Exupery. The journals of the German Air Force do not contain records of aircraft shot down in this area on July 31, 1944, and the wreckage itself does not have obvious signs of shelling. This gave rise to many versions of the crash, including versions of a technical malfunction and the pilot's suicide. Literary awards: 1930 - Femina - for the novel "Night Flight"; 1939 - Grand Prix du Roman of the French Academy - "Wind, sand and stars"; 1939 - US National Book Award - "Wind, Sand and Stars" Military awards. In 1939 he was awarded the Military Cross of the French Republic. Names in honor. Aroport Lyon-Saint-Exupry in Lyon; Asteroid 2578 Saint-Exupry, discovered by astronomer Tatyana Smirnova (discovered November 2, 1975 under the number "B612");

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was born into the family of a count in Lyon, a French town on June 29, 1900. When the boy was four years old, his father dies, and his mother takes care of raising his son. He graduated from school, a boarding school, and in 1917 went to study as an architect.

In 1921 he was drafted into the army, and because of his health he was sent to the pilots. For a year of service, he becomes a pilot and then moves to Paris, where he begins to engage in creativity. In 1925, Antoine got a job as a pilot in the Aeropostal postal company. After two years of work, the young pilot is appointed to the position of head of the airport in the Sahara, Africa.

In 1929 he was transferred to Buenos Aires, where he headed the new branch of the airline; in 1931 he returned to Europe, where he again began to transport mail by plane. In parallel with transportation, Antoine was engaged in journalism in 1930, and, in 1935, he went to work as a correspondent in Moscow, where he describes the trip in five of his interesting essays. Exupery also goes to war as a journalist in Spain. He took part in the Second World War from its first days, and in 1944 he made his secret reconnaissance flight from the island of Sardinia and did not return.

About forty years later, the pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was considered missing, and in the sea, near Marseille, in 1998 they find his bracelet, which recognizes the engraving of his data: the name of his wife and the address of the publishing house where Antoine printed his books. In May 2000, the wreckage of an aircraft was found at great depths; according to the assumption, this should have been the board on which Antoine made his reconnaissance flight in 1941. The crash site is immediately closed by the government, and, only in 2003, fragments of the aircraft are raised.

After checking the entries in the journals of the German Air Force at the time of July 31, 1944, the military came to the conclusion that the R-38 Lightning board crashed due to a technical malfunction or pilot error, since the remains of the hull were without obvious damage from anti-aircraft guns, and in The magazines at that time did not indicate anything.

During his years of life, the author was awarded many literary prizes for his novels: in 1930 the Femin Prize, in 1939 the Grand Prix du Roman and many others. He was also awarded the Military Cross of the French Republic in 1939.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a French writer, professional aviator, philosopher and humanist. His real name is Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger de Saint-Exupery. The writer was born on June 29, 1900 in Leon. He repeatedly said that "flying and writing are one and the same". In his work, the prose writer skillfully combined reality and fantasy; all his works can be called motivating and inspiring.

Count family

The future writer was born in the family of Count Jean de Saint-Exupery, he was the third child. When the boy was 4 years old, his father died, the mother was engaged in raising children. The first years of the kids were spent in the estate of Saint-Maurice, which belonged to their grandmother.

From 1908 to 1914, Antoine and his brother François studied at the Jesuit College of Le Mans in Montreux, then they went to a Swiss Catholic boarding school. In 1917, the young man received additional education at the Paris School of Fine Arts in the department of architecture.

Flight activity

In 1921, Saint-Exupery was called up from the army, he ended up in the second regiment of fighter aviation. Initially, the guy worked in a repair shop, but in 1923 he completed a pilot course and passed the exam to become a civilian pilot. Shortly after that, he went to Morocco, where he retrained as a military pilot.

At the end of 1922, Antoine flew to the 34th Aviation Regiment, which was located near Paris. A few months later, he had to endure the first plane crash in his life. After that, the young man decides to stay in the capital of France, where he earns by literary work. The works of an unknown author were not popular with readers, so he had to work as a salesman in a bookstore and even sell cars.

In 1926, Saint-Exupéry begins to fly again. He is accepted as a pilot for the Aerostal company, the writer specialized in delivering correspondence to North Africa. A year later, he managed to become the head of the airport, at the same time, his debut story "Pilot" was published. For six months, the young man returns to France, where he signs an agreement with the publisher Gaston Guillimar. The prose writer undertakes to write seven novels, in the same year his essay “Southern Postal” is published.

Since September 1929, the young man has been working as the head of the Buenos Aires branch of the Aeropostal Argentina company. In 1930 he was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor. A year later, Antoine decides to return to Europe, where he again gets a job at postal airlines. At the same time, the writer receives the literary award "Femina" for the work "Night Flight".

Since the mid-30s, the prose writer has been engaged in journalism. He visits Moscow, after this visit 5 essays were written. In one of them, Saint-Exupery tried to describe the essence of Stalin's policy. Antoine also wrote a series of military reports from Spain. In 1934 he survived several accidents and was seriously injured. In the same year, he applied for the invention of a new aircraft landing system. In December 1935, a man crashes in the Libyan desert on his way from Paris to Saigon, but miraculously survives.

In 1939, a man becomes the winner of two prestigious competitions. He receives an award from the Académie française for The Planet of Men and a US National Book Award for his essay Wind, Sand and Stars. For participation in the intelligence operation over Arras in May 1940, the writer was awarded the "Military Cross".

War time

Antoine fought against the fascist invaders from the first day of the war. He preferred to do this not only with the help of physical force, but also with the help of words, being both a publicist and a military pilot. When France was occupied by Germany, the writer went to the free part of the country, then he moved to the United States.

In February 1943, the book "Military Pilot" was published in the USA; in the spring of the same year, the prose writer received an order for a children's fairy tale. In 1943 Saint-Exupery served in North Africa. It was during this period of his life that he wrote the story "Letter to the Hostage" and the fairy tale "The Little Prince", which children and adults still read with pleasure.

Despite the fact that the publishing house ordered a children's fairy tale from the writer, the book "The Little Prince" can be called a full-fledged philosophical work. Antoine was able to convey simple and important life truths with the help of skillful artistic means. He does not get hung up on petty personal problems, showing the depth of consciousness of each person. His drunkard, businessman and king perfectly demonstrate the shortcomings of society, but the essence is hidden much deeper. And the famous phrase “We are responsible for those we have tamed” will make even a skeptic think.

last years of life

During his life, Saint-Exupery managed to be a test pilot, military man and correspondent. The great writer died on July 31, 1944, his plane was shot down by opponents. For a long time, the details of Antoine's death were not known, but in 1998 a fisherman found his bracelet.

Two years later, fragments of the plane on which the prose writer flew were discovered. It is noteworthy that no obvious traces of shelling were found on the aircraft, and this led to the emergence of many versions of the death of the writer. The collection of parables and aphorisms "Citadel" is recognized as his last book. The writer never managed to finish it, the work was published in 1948.

Saint-Exupery spent his whole life with one woman, he was married to Consuelo Suicin. After the tragedy, she moved to New York, then went to France. There, the woman was engaged in sculpture, she was also an artist. For many years, the widow devoted her work to perpetuating the memory of her husband.