Wind, Sand and Stars

<p>Both a gripping tale of adventure and a poetic meditation, Antoine de Saint Exupéry's <i>Wind, Sand and Stars </i>is the lyrical autobiography of an aviation pioneer, from the author of <i>The Little Prince.</i> This Penguin Modern Classics edition is translated from the French with an introduction by William Rees. <p>In 1926 de Saint-Exupéry began flying for the pioneering airline Latécoère - later known as Aéropostale - opening up the first mail routes across the Sahara and the Andes. <i>Wind, Sand and Stars </i>is drawn from this experience. Interweaving encounters with nomadic Arabs and other adventures into a richly textured autobiographical narrative, it has its climax in the extraordinary story of Saint-Exupéry's crash in the Libyan Desert in 1936, and his miraculous survival. 'Self-discovery comes when a man measures himself against an obstacle, ' writes Saint-Exupéry. This book explores the transcendent perceptions that arise when life is tested to its limits. <p>Writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-44), was born in Lyon, France. His first two books, <i>Southern Mail</i> and <i>Night Flight</i>, are distinguished by a poetic evocation of the romance and discipline of flying. Later works, including <i>Wind, Sand and Stars</i> and <i>Flight to Arras</i>, stress his humanistic philosophy. Saint-Exupéry's popular children's book <i>The Little Prince</i> is also read by adults for its allegorical meaning. Saint-Exupéry's plane disappeared during a mission in World War II. <p>If you enjoyed <i>Wind, Sand and Stars</i>, you might like Woody Guthrie's <i>Bound for Glory</i>, also available in Penguin Modern Classics. <p>'A Conrad of the air ... Like Conrad, Saint-Exupéry is a poet of action'<br>André Maurois</p>