The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Richard Howard Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Little Prince
Book Review: A true classic
Summary: 5 Stars
I must say that this book is not about a little prince, it has a deeper meaning, so if you see any reviews rating it only with 1 star, please disregard them. I don't usually buy books, but even I have thissmall novel. I just found it fasinating in how many languages it has been published. English, French, even Lithuanian (I know, I saw it). So instead of reading some Harry Potter for the 100th time, read this book.Book Review: A truly beautiful book
Summary: 5 Stars
The Little Prince is a children's book for adults. The reader can see this clearly as early on as the dedication where it reads: "TO LEON WERTH- I ask the indulgence of the children who may read this book for dedicating it to a grown-up. I have a serious reason: he is my best friend I have in the world. I have another reason: this grown-up understands everything, even books about children. I have a third reason: he lives in France where he is hungry and cold. He needs cheering up. If al of these reason are not enough, I will dedicate the book to the child from whom this grown-up grew. All grown-ups were once children-- although few of them remember it. And so I correct my dedication: TO LEON WERTH when he was a little boy" There is and never shall be a book written with more love and compassion for life such as The Little Prince.Book Review: Amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
Sometimes children's novels are the best books. This book would fall under this category. A little prince lives on a planet and tends his flower and volcanoes. He visits earth and meets some people on the way. The story tells of some life lessons he learns and teaches. One of the greatest things about this book is the message of finding what's important in life. That is one of the hardest things to do sometimes. We end up doing things and not realizing how they are affecting us and what impact they are having on our lives. Sometimes we need to stop and smell the roses. Sometimes we need to work and rake our own volcanoes. And sometimes we need to move our chairs so that we can see multiple sunsets. It's all about priorities and perspective. Another kids book I really enjoyed was Maniac Magee.
Another book that was an allegorical book is The Alchemist
Book Review: An English Translation Worth Reading
Summary: 5 Stars
I, having loved The Little Prince for several years now, will not attempt to put into words how I feel about this book nor the amazing respect I have towards its creator. Anyone who loves The Little Prince as I do will understand my silence. I do however have some things to say about the translation of Mr. Richard Howard.Having read The Little Prince in its original French version I was astounded by the inconsistencies of the previous standard English translation by Ms Katherine Woods. She reconstructed many sentences and used the words "child" and "little man" interchangeably and the error that angered me most: Ms Woods completely eliminated the sentence [...] from the description of the repeated landscape.
As readers of the English language we all can agree that "Time soothes all sorrows" hits harder than "Everyone eventually is consoled." But no one can deny that the later is a more precise translation [....] One may find Ms Woods' version more poetic, but it lacks the authenticity of Mr. Howard's.
I encourage all readers of Ms. Woods' translation to pick up a copy of Mr. Howard's. It will anger you, I guarantee it. The words that comforted you for years, the lines that seemed to change your life, no longer exist in this novel. But if we truly want to love The Little Prince in the way Antoine de Saint-Exupéry envisioned him (without taking the time to learn the French language) we must open ourselves up to this, in my opinion, much better translation.
Book Review: An Existential Children's Book that Adults Need to Read
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're familiar with Martin Buber's "I-Thou" (where each person confirms others as having unique value) and his "I-It" (where each person knows and uses others but does not really see or value them for themselves) you'll find these concepts exemplified in the story of The Little Prince. This relation is made evident through Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's juxtaposition of seeing the world through the eyes of a child with seeing it as an adult.In the first few pages the narrator explains that as a child he drew a picture of a boa digesting an elephant. When he showed it to adults they could only see a hat--meaning that it's hard for adults to understand what children see and imagine because the adult's take things for granted and at face value. He keeps the drawing wishing of someday finding another who sees it as he does, but since the narrator is now an adult he too is losing touch with the uniqueness of the world around him. When he meets the Little Prince he shows him the picture, the Prince identifies it as a boa digesting an elephant, and they become friends.
Eventually the narrator comes to the realization that because of his friendship with the Little Prince he can now see what's important in life. Through the Little Prince he again learns to see the world through the innocent eyes of a child.
In a nutshell: the Little Prince helps him reinvent his individuality and rediscover his childhood innocence.
This is a great book.