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Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Little Prince Sculpture Returns to New York After 80 Years

It’s a return to his hometown. Eighty years after the first publication of the famous philosophical tale, on April 6, 1943, The little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry returns to New York. Through a 1.25 m bronze sculpture (seated) created by the Norman artist Jean-Marc de Pas, who told all its secrets to Ouest-France. My Little Prince will have his eyes and his body turned towards the sky, of course, as if to free himself from the skyscrapers and fly away, he explains.

Read also: The Little Prince: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s best-seller celebrates its 80th anniversary

This sculpture will be inaugurated on Wednesday September 20 at the end of the afternoon in New York, in the presence of the sculptor obviously but also of the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, the French Ambassador to the United States. United, Laurent Bily, and the secretary general of the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Foundation for Youth and great-nephew of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Olivier d’Agay. Once planned, the inauguration by Emmanuel Macron was made impossible for scheduling reasons. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will be in New York as part of the United Nations General Assembly.

Visible from the street

This statue is fantastically successful with a Little Prince both innocent and clever, rejoices Olivier d’Agay. It will be visible to passers-by from the street in front of the Villa Albertine, which houses the French bookstore and the headquarters of the cultural services of the French Embassy in the United States. The address: the prestigious 5th Avenue, between the Metropolitan Museum and the Consulate General of France.

Why New York? When Antoine de Saint-Exupéry left occupied France, he lived in exile in the United States. And that’s where he wrote in 1942 this fable where a naive little prince falls in love with a rose of fragile beauty, recalls Jean-Marc de Pas. Another statue has already been visible since 2006 in Northport, where Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote his work.

Read also: At the origins of the Little Prince: the secrets of writing a legendary text

This statue is a long-standing project, explains the writer’s great-nephew. But this year, the planets aligned as one would say The little Prince, notably in collaboration with Souvenir français, the association which maintains the memory of French people abroad.

“An ambassador of hope”

The celebration of 80 years of Little Prince also played a lot. How is the octogenarian doing anyway? He remained young and valiant, replies Olivier d’Agay. As it has entered the public domain, it is impossible to know how many people are reading it, but we are at 560 translations, and it is still increasing. And his message has never been so radiant. How to summarize it? The author’s great nephew responds: It is a humanist message, outside of any religion, which speaks to all generations and all cultures. The little Prince is an ambassador of hope, culture, childhood, and the protection of the planet. In short, what people need.

2023-09-17 18:25:39


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