Saint-Exupéry’s first novel doesn’t quite have the lyricism of his later work, but the foundation is there in terms of themes: overcoming suffering, finding connections in an isolated world, the waste of war, flight as a symbol of the search for meaning, etc. As with his other fiction, this one feels like it is highly autobiographical. I am unsure of the facts surrounding the writing, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just a lightly fictionalized account of a friend he knew in the past. I would recommend starting with some of Saint-Exupéry’s other fiction first and then working back to this one.

Mazais princis man vēl šodien liekas ģeniāla grāmata, tāpēc gribēju izmēģināt vēl citu(pirmo) autora darbu. Viss ko varu pateikt - es apbrīnoju, kā autoram gadu gaitā izdevies destilēt savu rakstīšanas stilu, lai no šī mazliet murgainā darba stila izveidotu ko tik tīru kā Mazais princis.

Une lecture poétique qui se dessine par l'amour que porte Saint-Exupéry sur les thématiques de l'aviation, du ciel et de son premier amour. Sa plume se peint délicatement dans un environnement stressant et enivrant où sa toute première relation s'y touche dans les maux de l'auteur. Un livre pour lequel on ne ressort pas indifférent. En effet, Antoine sait magner l'art de la description dans une lecture soigneuse et respectueuse. Entre fiction et autobiographie, l'auteur sait convaincre son lecteur au fil des pages en se laissant imprégner de sa douleur et de son amour du pilotage aérien. Bien que quelques fois, certains passages furent complexes par les pensées défilantes de celui-ci, ce qui a rendu parfois la lecture moins fluide, la globalité du récit s'harmonise.

N'ayant lu que le Petit Prince, ce style d'ouvrage est aux antipodes de ce que propose Saint-Exupéry, dans un cadre oriental, quand un amour impossible s'alimente au gré des pages, on ne peut qu'apprécier les moindres mots qui déferlent de page en page. Ce qui rend ce livre spécial n'est pas forcément la partie dramatique de sa vie amoureuse, mais sa perception de ses amours. Entre celui qui lui promet une vie courte et dangereuse, tandis que l'autre peut être plus longue et harmonieuse, tout ce percute dans un amas de sensibilité intéressante et touchante.

Un livre que je conseille fortement.

I love saint-exupery's melancholic tone and writing, also it's written in simple french so it was perfect for learners like me! it's a classic french love story but with a lovely atmosphere that travels back between france and the desert lands - it's thick with imagery and very immersive

An enchanting read of early flight over barbaric lands filled with mystery and possibility. Stories like this one need to be read in order for us to remember how far society has advanced, and to illuminate how far we still need to advance.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Huomattava osa lukuprosessista meni niin, että en ymmärtänyt:
- kuka puhuu
- kenestä puhutaan
- missä ollaan
- miten tapahtumat liittyy muuhun kirjaan (ajallisesti tai muutenkaan)
- miksei tässä lennetä postilentoa etelään vaan kerrataan jotain joutavaa ja hyvin outoa rakkaustarinaa (no lennettiin sentään alussa ja lopussa)

Silti jotain miellyttävää tässä oli, annetaan kolme tähteä.

I won't claim that this is an easy read - the tale is told in short passages and sometimes staccato sentences. At times it seems almost mystic when it dwells on the inner thoughts of the main protagonist. Although he speaks some of his thoughts, it often seems that we hear the words second hand through the narration of his friend. The whole story is tinged with a sadness and melancholy. I may have struggled at times but in the end, this book has been a rewarding experience.

I picked this up because I feel like the Little Prince is such a work of genius that I wanted to read more work by the same author. I couldn't really give 2 sh!ts about this one though. It took me way longer to get through it than I expected because I just wasn't all that interested in it.

A new read for me, from my most favourite author. I'm sad to say I didn't find it terribly engaging! I expected another beautiful work about the wonders of experiencing the world through flight, but this read more like a high concept, arsty love story.

å den frygt for at stå stille og være til der kropsliggøres som rodløshed i en evig kamp mod tiden. we enter the night: beasts, men, and things.

Преди да завладее света с "Малкият принц", Екзюпери му подарява своя първи роман - "Южна поща". ❤️

Написан през далечната 1929 година, тази книга е така нежна, така романтична и сантиментална. Докосва душата на читателя по особен начин. Кара го да съпреживява, да усеща копнежа на полета, но и да мечтае за любов, за дом.

Although only 150 pages this is not an easy read. The opening was difficult to understand and it was only as Genevieve comes into Bernis life that we have a recognisable story thread. It takes time to understand how the story moves - the form.

The quality of this short novel is actually in the dreamy shifting of passage to passage , from point of view to point of view in defiance of conventional writing, and the dreamy romantic language of love, youth and idealism. The writing really is beautiful at times I found. Wistful and making one recall ones youth and ones hopes and dreams. We don’t know who the narrator is at certain times, Bernis or the admiring friend but I don’t think this matters - the writing is “impressionistic”, no fine lines but lots of smudgy approximation.

The story shifts from Africa to Paris to provincial France and back again without necessarily any formal link other than it is a series of cameos about Bernis or Genevieve.

By the end of the novella I had bought in to the style and the language and I thought it a beautiful evocative read.

Read in French whilst staying in Provence, a perfect backdrop