Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, born in Lyon 29 June 1900, was a French author, poet and aviator. In 1921 he began his military service and trained as a pilot, and it was these experiences that inspired the philosophical storytelling for which he is best known. At the outbreak of the Second World War he joined the French Air Force flying reconnaissance missions. Later, he joined the Free French Forces but, while flying a mission in the Rhone valley on 31 July 1944, he disappeared and was never seen again. It was assumed that he was shot down over the Mediterranean. An unidentifiable body wearing French colours was found several days later and buried in Carqueiranne that September.

Ever since its original publication in French in 1943, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s story has enchanted audiences of all ages . . . The story’s wisdom on loneliness – in cities crowded with people – and consumerism – in a world replete with natural joys – remains as resonant as ever