The Little Prince and Letter to a Hostage

AntoinedeSaint-ExupéryfirstpublishedTheLittlePrincein1943,onlyayearbeforehisLockheedP-38vanishedovertheMediterraneanduringareconnaissancemission.Morethanahalfcenturylater,thisfableofloveandlonelinesshaslostnoneofitspower.ThenarratorisadownedpilotintheSaharaDesert,franticallytryingtorepairhiswreckedplane.Hiseffortsareinterruptedonedaybytheapparitionofalittle,well,prince,whoaskshimtodrawasheep."Inthefaceofanoverpoweringmystery,youdon'tdaredisobey,"thenarratorrecalls."Absurdasitseemed,athousandmilesfromallinhabitedregionsandindangerofdeath,Itookascrapofpaperandapenoutofmypocket."Andsobeginstheirdialogue,whichstretchesthenarrator'simaginationinallsortsofsurprising,childlikedirections.