Famous Aviators
Early Years
Born June 28, 1900, Count Antoine Marie Roger de Saint-Exupéry was born in Lyon, France, into an old family of provincial nobility. The third of five children of Count Jean de Saint-Exupéry, and his wife, Marie de Foscolombe, St Exupéry's father was an insurance salesman who died when his famous son was but three years of age. St. Exupéry failed his exams for preparatory school and entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts to study architecture. He began his military service in 1921 when he was sent to Strasbourg to train as a pilot. St. Exupéry wanted to transfer to the air force but his fiancée's family objected. Instead, he went to Paris and took an office job, the call of the skies still ringing in his ears. His engagement ultimately broken, St Exupéry unsuccessfully tried several jobs over the next few years. By 1926 was flying again.
Aviator Supreme and Author
St Exupéry became one of the pioneers of international postal flight in the days when pilots had few tools and flew largely by instinct. His first tale, "L'Aviateur" (The Aviator) was published in 1928 as well as his first book, "Courier-Sud" (Southern Mail). In 1931, "Vol de Nuit" (Night Flight) was published and won the Prix Femina. That same year St Exupéry married Consuelo Suncin Sandoval Zecena of Gomez, an artist/writer, but their union was unhappy and marked by many extra-marital affairs. Other works followed notably, "Terre des Hommes" (Wind, Sand and Stars) (1939) and "Pilote de Guerre" (1939).
The Little Prince and Death
Although his love and talent for flying inspired most of his writing, an exception is the work for which St Exupéry is the most famous, "The Little Prince ". This poetic illustrated tale is a philosophical essay on the foibles and follies of the adult world. During World War II, St Exupéry flew with an Allied-based squadron stationed in the Mediterranean. He died at the age of 44, on a reconnaissance mission in the Rhone River Valley. St Exupéry took off on July 31, 1944 and was never seen again, A woman witnessed a crash the next day, and a male body wearing a French uniform was found soon after and later buried in September of that year.
