Léon Werth
Encyclopedia
Léon Werth was a French writer and art critic, a friend of Octave Mirbeau
, then of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
.
Léon Werth wrote critically and with great precision on French society through World War I
, colonization, and on French "collaboration" during World War II
.
Saint-Exupéry met Werth in 1931. He soon became Saint-Exupery's closest friend outside of his flying group of Aeropostale
. Werth did not have much in common with Saint-Exupéry; he was an anarchist, his father was a Jew, and a left Bolshevik
supporter. Being twenty-two years older than Saint-Exupéry, with a surrealistic writing style as well as the author of twelve volumes and many magazine pieces, he was Saint-Exupéry's very opposite.
Saint-Exupéry dedicated two books to him, ("Letter to a Hostage" and "The Little Prince
"), and referred to Werth in three more.
At the beginning of World War II, while writing "The Little Prince", Saint-Exupéry lived in his downtown New York City
apartment, thinking about his native France
and his friends. Léon Werth spent the war unobtrusively in Saint-Amour, his village in the Jura, a mountainous region near Switzerland
where he "was alone, cold and hungry", and had few nice words on French refugees. Saint-Exupéry returned to Europe in early 1943, rationalizing, "I cannot bear to be far from those who are hungry... I am leaving in order to suffer and thereby be united with those who are dear to me."
At the end of World War II, which Antoine de Saint-Exupéry didn't live to see, Léon Werth said: "Peace, without Tonio (Saint-Exupéry) isn't entirely peace." Leon Werth did not see the text for which he was so responsible until five months after his friend's death, when Gallimard sent him a special edition.
I ask children to forgive me for dedicating this book to a grown-up. I have a serious excuse: this grown-up is the best friend I have in the world. I have another excuse: this grown-up can understand everything, even books for children. I have a third excuse: he lives in France where he is hungry and cold. He needs to be comforted. If all these excuses are not enough then I want to dedicate this book to the child whom this grown-up once was. All grown-ups were children first. (But few of them remember it.) So I correct my dedication:
To Leon Werth,
When he was a little boy
Octave Mirbeau
Octave Mirbeau was a French journalist, art critic, travel writer, pamphleteer, novelist, and playwright, who achieved celebrity in Europe and great success among the public, while still appealing to the literary and artistic avant-garde...
, then of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry , officially Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint Exupéry , was a French writer, poet and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of France's highest literary awards, and in 1939 was the winner of the U.S. National Book Award...
.
Léon Werth wrote critically and with great precision on French society through World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, colonization, and on French "collaboration" during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Saint-Exupéry met Werth in 1931. He soon became Saint-Exupery's closest friend outside of his flying group of Aeropostale
Aéropostale (aviation)
Aéropostale was a pioneering aviation company. It was founded in 1918 in Toulouse, France, as Société des lignes Latécoère, also known as Lignes Aeriennes Latécoère or simply "The Line" .- History :Aéropostale founder Pierre-Georges Latécoère envisioned an air route connecting France to the...
. Werth did not have much in common with Saint-Exupéry; he was an anarchist, his father was a Jew, and a left Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
supporter. Being twenty-two years older than Saint-Exupéry, with a surrealistic writing style as well as the author of twelve volumes and many magazine pieces, he was Saint-Exupéry's very opposite.
Saint-Exupéry dedicated two books to him, ("Letter to a Hostage" and "The Little Prince
The Little Prince
The Little Prince , first published in 1943, is a novella and the most famous work of the French aristocrat writer, poet and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ....
"), and referred to Werth in three more.
At the beginning of World War II, while writing "The Little Prince", Saint-Exupéry lived in his downtown New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
apartment, thinking about his native France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and his friends. Léon Werth spent the war unobtrusively in Saint-Amour, his village in the Jura, a mountainous region near Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
where he "was alone, cold and hungry", and had few nice words on French refugees. Saint-Exupéry returned to Europe in early 1943, rationalizing, "I cannot bear to be far from those who are hungry... I am leaving in order to suffer and thereby be united with those who are dear to me."
At the end of World War II, which Antoine de Saint-Exupéry didn't live to see, Léon Werth said: "Peace, without Tonio (Saint-Exupéry) isn't entirely peace." Leon Werth did not see the text for which he was so responsible until five months after his friend's death, when Gallimard sent him a special edition.
The Little Prince dedication
To Leon WerthI ask children to forgive me for dedicating this book to a grown-up. I have a serious excuse: this grown-up is the best friend I have in the world. I have another excuse: this grown-up can understand everything, even books for children. I have a third excuse: he lives in France where he is hungry and cold. He needs to be comforted. If all these excuses are not enough then I want to dedicate this book to the child whom this grown-up once was. All grown-ups were children first. (But few of them remember it.) So I correct my dedication:
To Leon Werth,
When he was a little boy
Books
in italic, title's translation- 33 jours (33 Days)
- Clavel chez les majors
- La maison blanche (The White House)
- Clavel soldat (Clavel soldier)
- Cochinchine
- Le destin de Marco
- Le monde et la ville (The World and the City)
- Impressions d'audience
- Saint-Exupéry, tel que je l'ai connu (Saint-Exupéry as I knew him)
- Caserne 1900
- Déposition / Journal 1940 - 1944
- Voyages avec ma pipe (Travels With My Pipe)
- Une soirée à L'Olympia