Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Stuart Gilbert Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Night Flight
Book Review: A peek back at the aviation's dangerous roots
Summary: 5 Stars
There already exist a dozen or more excellent reviews on this early aviation piece. I humbly add my thoughts.
This novel, written 1930ish by the famous author/flyer Antoine De Saint-Exupery, in the pioneering days of aviation, encompasses two stories playing out simultaneously:
1. In the cockpit of a night mail plane, flying out of Patagonia, Chile, over the Andes and towards points north. A primitive aircraft, with primitive radio, only dead-reckoning navigation, and no radar. The plane has become enclosed in an overwhelming storm system and the pilot is flying blind in complete blackness. The situation develops and becomes summarized in the following sentence from the story, " . . . a phantom ship that, as things were, struggled no longer to win a punctuality-bonus, but only to evade a penalty . . . the penalty of death."
2. On the ground in Buenos Aries, the director of the S America air mail effort, Riviere. In his drive to establish and develop the program, he has championed the night mail flights. Now a plane and crew has become in mortal danger. Riviere weighs all factors including especially the worth of what they are doing versus the costs. His thoughts, from the story, " . . . even though human life may be the most precious thing on earth, we always behave as if there were something of higher value than human life . . . But what thing?"
A great novel. Serious introspection, and a fascinating glimpse at the nuts and bolts of early aviation. A nice prelude, by the way, to Saint-Ex's landmark work, "Wind, Sand, and Stars". A comprehensive autobiographical tale, and larger than fiction, along these same lines.
Book Review: AVIATION CLASSIC
Summary: 5 Stars
As a near to retiring professional pilot who has logged close to 17,000 flight hours worldwide, including Argentina (where this story is set), all I can say is: Those mail pioneers (for this story was based on fact when Saint Ex went to Argentina about 70 years ago to open up the mail routes) were indeed very brave men. The author portays another place and another time, but for all aviators (from private thru airline) there are always moments when you come face to face with your own fear - be it weather, mechanical failure, fire, or whatever - and hopefully survive. Saint Ex's protaganist and his radio operator are not as fortunate as those of us who walked away, but then we modern pilots do have a lot more going for us in the cockpit than the pioneers did. In France, Saint Ex has always been considered the poet storyteller - the best of the best. In the USA Ernie Gann and Richard Bach, in the UK John Templeton Smith. It seems to me that the finest works with an aviation theme can only come from those who have been there. St Ex, Gann, Bach, Templeton Smith were always first and foremost pilots - that their writing skills happened to be superlative would doubtless have been dismissed by these modest men. Four men in the near hundred year history of aviation with such writing genius is not many. Read them all - imagine if you like that these four flyers are together in a flight (two elements) painting contrails across a blue sky. For me the leader Saint Ex. I leave you to decide who is his wingman.Book Review: Absorbing and exhilarating
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a shortish novel about the pioneers of mail flying from South America to Europe. The plot is absorbing, the characters are masterfully sketched, and his turn of phrase is at times exhilarating. Here's one example: "The seconds flowed away, like ebbing blood. Were they still in flight? Each second killed a hope."
Book Review: An early flight of St. Exupery
Summary: 4 Stars
St.Exupery's later books, particularly non-fiction, give a fuller account of his early flying experiences. But this is not a technical book on flying, or an aviation history, but uses flying in a more metaphorical vein. Written in spare language, it explores what drives man to challenge his limits, the role of responsibility and perseverance in the face of impending defeat and ultimately tragedy. It is a story of modern heroism, not the John Wayne type, but that of a persons quietly doggedly carrying out their duties even when knowing the ultimate costs to their friends and themselves.There is more to this brief novel than first meets the eye.
Book Review: Classic Aviation
Summary: 4 Stars
This is one of those classic novelettes by one of the most known writers in aviation history. I first heard of St Ex through my college roommate's book "The Little Prince". The style is not easy to digest at first but quickly grows on you. I have given this book to young teens who love reading as a way of introduction. Later I found Gordon Baxter's columns "Bax Seat" in FLYING magazine. Bax is no longer with us but his love of St Ex was passed on. He claimed his editors would identify his mood swings whenever he was reading St Ex even though his works were submitted from Texas for the NY based offices. If you love aviation you will love St Ex's quintisential "Night Flight".