From 8 June 2018 to March 2019, visit Singapore Philatelic Museum’s exhibition The Little Prince: Behind the Story to experience Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s well-loved book, Le Petit Prince or The Little Prince, in fresh, new ways.
The book was first published in April 1943 and has since gone on to sell almost 200 million copies.
The Little Prince & Life of Saint-Exupéry
At one level, The Little Prince is a children’s imaginary tale about a stranded aviator who encounters the Little Prince who is from another planet. At another level, the story is a deeply philosophical one and provides a critique of society and human relationships.
Saint-Exupéry was himself a multi-faceted person. He was a French aristocrat, laureate and poet. Born just four years before the Wright Brothers took mankind to the skies, he was also an early aviator.
In the 1920s, he was one of the pioneers of international postal flight and was based in North Africa before relocating to Argentina as director of Aeroposta Argentina, a subsidiary of French airmail company Aéropostale.
In 1935, Saint-Exupéry and his mechanic-navigator crashed into the Libyan desert while on an air race from Paris to Saigon. An incident that bears striking similarity to the opening scenes of The Little Prince.
On 31 July 1944, as a member of the Free French Air Force, he took off on a reconnaissance flight to spy on German troop movements but never returned and was presumed dead.
It was only more recently in 1998 and 2000 when some artefacts, such as a silver identify bracelet and fragments of an WWII plane matching the one he went down in, were discovered.
An Intimate Look
The Little Prince: Behind the Story exhibition at Singapore Philatelic Museum provides an intimate look into Antoine de Saint-Exupéry life through artefacts and his personal items.
A star exhibit at The Little Prince: Behind the Story is his silver identity bracelet that was recovered from the sea in 1998.
Also on display are his military coat, pilot gloves and a copy of the first edition of “The Little Prince”.
A fragment of his plane that crashed in the North African desert is also on loan from the Mehun-sur-Yèvre Museum.
Visitors to Singapore Philatelic Museum’s The Little Prince: Behind the Story can also admire around 200 stamps and other philatelic items issued by 27 countries in tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and the story of The Little Prince.
Ten sculptures depicting scenes and characters from The Little Prince are also on loan from The Little Prince Art Collection by Arnaud Nazare-Aga. In October 2018, five specially designed sculptures in a dark room will provide visitors, including the visually impaired, with a tactile way to experience The Little Prince.
The Little Prince: Behind the Story exhibition is supported by the Singapore-France Cooperation Agreement and celebrates the 75th anniversary of the story. It will run till 17 March 2019.
The Little Prince: Behind the Story at Singapore Philatelic Museum
When: 8 June 2018 to 17 March 2019
Where: Singapore Philatelic Museum
