Paris exhibit brings ‘The Little Prince’ home

The iconic novella was penned by French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery in New York during World War II, and now 30 handwritten pages of the original manuscript are on display at the Saint-Exupery, however, did not live to see that reach. He went missing while flying a mission in 1944 and was declared dead in 1945. It took Rivière, who is the head of Saint-Exupery’s estate, three years to bring the exhibition to the public — partly because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. His efforts were supported by publishers and collectors, including the Morgan Library and Museum in New York, which houses the manuscript.Saint-Exupery wrote and drew on razor-thin paper nicknamed “onion skin.” This made the task of transporting the pages of the manuscript, which were all the more fragile due to their age, even more challenging, Rivière said.To ensure their safe transportation, the pages were carefully and professionally framed in New York by the Morgan Library and Museum, he said.The exhibition opened February 17 and is set to run through June 26.