The Little Prince Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Little Prince
Book Review: "You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
Summary: 5 Stars
Medicine for the hearts and souls of both grown-ups and children alike. This book brings gifts each time I visit it. Got my copy at bordersstores.com.Book Review: translation cause story to lose some beauty
Summary: 3 Stars
I grew up reading this lovely story and when the pages fell out of my original I went to Amazon for a new one.
However, the new translation took the beauty out of the story that I had felt in earlier readings, in my opinion.
The story remains a wonderful one, but I would suggest reading the Katherine Woods translation for comparison. The language in the original translation is beautiful, creative and inspiring. I felt the newer translation was less poetic.
Book Review: To Be Chewed and Digested
Summary: 5 Stars
It was children's book week last week at the public library, and they had a huge display of staff favorites. So when I entered the door, The Little Prince was waiting right there for me. I must confess, I have never read this book in its entirety. Such a classic, and I have only known about the sound bytes - one of the most famous being the quote, "Anything essential is invisible to the eyes." Who knew it is a fox that actually says that in the book?
The story opens with a pilot stranded in the desert. A pilot, who when he was younger, was dissuaded from pursuing his real passion: drawing. As a consequence, he only knows how to draw a boa from the inside and a boa from the outside. But back to his being stranded in the desert. While trying to fix his plane, he meets the Little Prince. This Prince is from a planet that is quite small, with just one flower and three volcanoes (one being inactive, but you never know). On his planet, he can see the sun set anytime he wants to, just by shifting the position of his chair. The Prince sets out to explore the other planets around him, and in retelling his tale, we get to meet all the interesting people he has met. The Prince's final conclusion after all his interviews with strangers on new planets: "Grown-ups are so strange." They don't understand anything "important," he determines - all they care about is numbers (and other such nonsense).
It is on the last planet he visits - Earth - that the Little Prince meets the fox. This is my favorite part of the story. It is when the Prince learns about being "tamed," or really, I suppose, being loved (and loving in return). The whole section with the fox was really beautiful, and is the source of the famous quote above. The fox tells the Prince about what is essential, and explains "One sees clearly only with heart." He also explains that it is the time we spend on others that makes them valuable to us, that grows the love between us. It's wonderful.
The end of the story is bittersweet. The major theme I took from this section is how precious memories can be, and how the world is made more alive by the people and the love we associate with everything on earth. It's not a new idea, but just beautifully put. There are songs that remind me of others and make me smile. Smells, sights, everything.
The staff member who chose this book for the display wrote as her reasoning for the choice: "It reminds me to look at things as if I'd never looked at them before." I echo that sentiment. And I believe it's a lesson we could all bear to learn.
Book Review: Beautiful Classic on Matters of the Heart
Summary: 5 Stars
I will review the book first then make some comments on the translation.
This is perhaps the best children's book written. I read it for the first time (Woods translation) a couple of weeks ago, and am glad that I did. Young and old alike can enjoy and treasure it. The fox is a great teacher about friendship, and how one truly sees only with the heart. Plus, the Little Prince's descriptions of the grownups he encountered on various planets is a concise but brilliant satire on how people lose sight of the forest for the trees as they get older. This is a must-have for anyone.
Now for the translation. Here are some excerpts from the old and new translations so that you can compare them.
Old Translation:
"For what the king fundamentally insisted upon was that his authority should be respected. He tolerated no disobedience. He was an absolute monarch. But, because he was a very good man, he made his orders reasonable."
New Translation:
"For the king insisted that his authority be universally respected. He would tolerate no disobedience, being an absolute monarch. But since he was a kindly man, all his commands were reasonable."
Old Translation:
"Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world. Then come back to say goodbye to me, and I will make you a present of a secret."
New Translation:
"Go look at the roses again. You'll understand that yours is the only rose in all the world. The come back to say good-bye, and I'll make you the gift of a secret."
I read the old translation first, having checked it out from the library. I'm not sure how to describe the niceties of the grammatical differences between the translations, but the Woods translation to me seems more poetic, whereas the new translation seems to be more colloquial. I don't think that the new translation prevents you from enjoying the story at all, and I think it's great that the full-color art was restored. In other words, I don't think that this new edition should be avoided; it's well-worth buying and reading. Still, I personally think it would be a good idea to read the old translation. You can probably find it at your local library, or from one of the used book sellers here on Amazon.
Book Review: The Little Prince: Sixtieth-Anniversary Gift Edition
Summary: 4 Stars
i have the 50th anniversary edition - it is bigger and my expectation was greater - so i was some what disapointed - it is still nice and the story is wonderful.