The typescript, which is a typed copy of a text, is one of three known to exist. It was created in New York by its author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, during his exile from Nazi-occupied France in the 1940s.
Saint-Exupéry’s handwritten notes and sketches are included in the copy. In November, it will be put up for sale at the Abu Dhabi Art Festival in the United Arab Emirates.
The typescript’s vendor, Peter Harrington Rare Books, noted that having the typed text “is an extremely rare event” (Sammy Jay, senior literature specialist).
Le Petit Prince, originally written in French, was written for children by Saint-Exupéry.
An accomplished pilot, he returned to Europe on a reconnaissance mission for the Free French air force battling Nazi Germany after finishing the book. It’s unclear how exactly his plane went down, but he vanished during his final mission over the Mediterranean.
The Little Prince, a young kid who is visiting Earth, meets a pilot who is stranded in a desert in this well-known piece of fiction.
Millions of copies of The Little Prince have been sold worldwide since it was first published.
