Wind, Sand and Stars
Encyclopedia
Wind, Sand and Stars is a memoir
by Antoine de Saint Exupéry published in 1939. It was translated from the French by Lewis Galantière, and published in the US in November 1945.
Saint Exupéry recounts several episodes from his years flying treacherous mail routes across the Sahara
and the Andes
. The central incident details the 1935 plane crash he survived in the Libya
n Sahara Desert, between Benghazi
and Cairo
. Saint Exupéry and his navigator, André Prévot, are left almost without water and food, as chances of finding an oasis
or help from the air gradually decrease. The book illustrates the author's view of the world and his opinions of what makes life worth living.
The charity Terre des hommes
was named after this book.
Expo 67
, the 1967 world's fair held in Montreal
, used "Terre des hommes / Man and His World" as its theme, based on the philosophies expressed in Saint Exupéry's book.
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
by Antoine de Saint Exupéry published in 1939. It was translated from the French by Lewis Galantière, and published in the US in November 1945.
Saint Exupéry recounts several episodes from his years flying treacherous mail routes across the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
and the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. The central incident details the 1935 plane crash he survived in the Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n Sahara Desert, between Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
and Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. Saint Exupéry and his navigator, André Prévot, are left almost without water and food, as chances of finding an oasis
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
or help from the air gradually decrease. The book illustrates the author's view of the world and his opinions of what makes life worth living.
The charity Terre des hommes
Terre des hommes
Terre des hommes is a charitable international humanitarian federation which concentrates on children's rights, founded in 1959 and based in Lausanne, Switzerland...
was named after this book.
Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
, the 1967 world's fair held in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, used "Terre des hommes / Man and His World" as its theme, based on the philosophies expressed in Saint Exupéry's book.
Awards
- Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie françaiseGrand Prix du roman de l'Académie françaiseLe Grand Prix du Roman is a French literary award, created in 1918, and given each year by the Académie française. Along with the Prix Goncourt, it is one of the oldest and most prestigious literary awards in France...
, 1939. - OutsideOutside (magazine)Outside is an American magazine focused on the outdoors. The first issue debuted in September 1977 with its mission statement declaring that the publication was "dedicated to covering the people, sports and activities, politics, art, literature, and hardware of the outdoors..."Its founders were...
magazine voted it #1 of all time out of a list of 25 adventure/explorer books. - National Geographic AdventureNational Geographic MagazineNational Geographic, formerly the National Geographic Magazine, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...
magazine voted in #3 of all time out of a list of 100 adventure/explorer books.
External links
- Outside Magazine The 25 (Essential) Books for the Well-Read Explorer.
- National Geographic Adventure: 100 Best Adventure Books
- Review by Bobby Matherne.
- The Expo 67 symbol as it relates to Man and His World
- Complete text of Terre des hommes (French, public domain in Canada)