Wind, Sand and Stars

In 1926 de Saint-Exupery began flying for the pioneering airline Lateco re – later known as Aeropostale – opening up the first mail routes across the Sahara and the Andes. WIND, SAND AND STARS is drawn from this experience. Interweaving encounters with nomadic Arabs and other adventures into a richly textured autobiographical narrative which includes the extraordinary story of his crash in the Libyan Desert in 1936, and his miraculous survival. ‘Self-discovery comes when a man measures himself against an obstacle,’ writes Saint-Exupery. This book he explores the transcendent perceptions that arise when life is tested to its limits. Both a gripping tale of adventure and a poetic meditation.

The French Writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944), was born in Lyon. His first two books, SOUTHERN MAIL and NIGHT FLIGHT, are distinguished by a poetic evocation of the romance and discipline of flying. Later works, including WIND, SAND AND STARS and FLIGHT TO ARRAS, stress his humanistic philosophy. Saint-Exupery’s popular children’s book THE LITTLE PRINCE is also read by adults for its allegorical meaning. Saint-Exupery’s plane disappeared during a mission in World War II.