Saint-Exupéry loved aviation, and devoted his life to it
A year ago, in an old building in northern Switzerland, they found three sketches of the famous drawings of The Little Prince . They were made on airmail paper, with Chinese ink and watercolor, and it was soon learned that the originals had belonged to the Zurich collector Bruno Stefanini, who died in 2018 at the age of 94; he had bought them at auction in 1986, in Bevaix.
Somehow it seems that the presence of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (Lyon, 1900 - Mediterranean Sea, 1944) never fades. He only spent 44 years in the world, but during those years he left an indelible mark in the form of more than 140 million books sold . And we are only talking about his most famous work, the aforementioned The Little Prince. He also published Land of Men, Citadel, Letter to a Hostage, Night Flight, The Aviator, War Pilot...
ANTOINE DE SAINT EXUPÉRY, A LITTLE PRINCE AMONG MEN
As can be seen in the titles of his works, the author enjoyed uniting his love for literature with his passion for aviation . His career in this field began in 1926 in Toulouse, headquarters of the French postal service. He spent a few years there, which the city now celebrates with the exhibition Antoine de Saint Exupéry, a little prince among men, which commemorates the 120th anniversary of the author's birth. He will stay at the L'Envol des Pionniers aviation museum from October 17 to August 29, 2021.
The exhibition on Saint-Exupéry will take place at L'Envol des Pionniers
The exhibition covers the life of the legendary pilot, presenting everything from the winged bicycle he had as a child to the information that is known about his tragic and mysterious death aboard the legendary P38 - nothing was known of his whereabouts until five decades after his last Travel by plane-. Thus, around an original set design that combines personal objects, sound and visual installations, a replica of the first plane he flew and fragments of the author's books, the public is invited to discover the life of this brave man -he was also test pilot and participated in dangerous raids during World War II - as profoundly humanistic.
Of course, The Little Prince, his most famous work, will enjoy special recognition at the exhibition, which will take the form of a dozen color sculptures made by the artist Arnaud Nazare-Aga. The set, in the words of those responsible for the museum, "invites visitors to dream and look at the world through the eyes of children."
A WALK THROUGH TOULOUSE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY
1. Toulouse Aérospace, where he started it all
Right there, in the Piste des Geants , the place where the L'Envol des Pionniers exhibition center is now located, Exupéry's career in the postal service began, as it was where the mail planes took off. To get there, Saint-Exupéry took the tram from the city's main square, the Capitole, across the Revel road (renamed Avenue Saint-Exupéry) and down Chemin Carrosse to the airfield.
A track of real giants
Today, that historic 'Track of the Giants' walk, literally, giants. Specifically, a huge minotaur, one of the great analog robots of the Halle de La Machine. The hangar converted into the incredible showroom of the peculiar theater company La Machine, which was born in 1999 from the collaboration of artists, technicians and show decorators around the construction of atypical scenic objects.
It is also located in this new district dedicated to innovation and baptized as Toulouse Aérospace, Hyperloop TT , the company that develops the supersonic train of the future and installed its European headquarters in Toulouse in 2017. Nearby you can also find the Gardens of the Ligne , which recreate the green atmosphere of the eight countries that the postal flights passed through: Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile.
2.Saint-Exupéry's favorite establishments
In 1926, before being assigned to Casablanca, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry lived in the 13 rue Alsace Lorraine , not far from cafe pere louis (in Rue des Tourneurs). Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest in the Pink City and currently works as a wine bar , preserving all the flavor of yesteryear. So much so that it is part of Toulouse's heritage and was registered in 1993 as a historical monument (it is the only one, along with the Le Bibant restaurant, with this distinction).
Le Bibent, a place steeped in history
There, Saint-Exupéry used to eat the typical dish of Toulouse: the cassoulette , a stew made with white beans, Bigorre black pork, duck confit and the so-called 'Toulouse sausage'. Your secret? A long cooking in a clay pot -cassole, in French, hence its name- and a good gratin.
Another restaurant that the aviator often frequented along with other company pilots is Le Bibent , located in the Capitole square. Currently, the place stands out not only for its central location, but also for its elegant baroque atmosphere and for its history, since it opened in 1861! Completely renovated in 2011, its new stage is in the hands of the chef Christian Constant.
To rest, Saint-Exupéry chose Le Grand Balcon Hotel . The accommodation, also located next to the emblematic Capitole Square, welcomed the pilots of the aeropostal company. The author of The Little Prince always slept in room number 32, which he often shared with his friend and also a pilot. Jean Mermoz . Today, the 32 has become the Saint-Exupery suite , thanks to a decoration that recovers the atmosphere of that time and the extra of its beautiful views over the square. Incidentally, the hotel cafeteria also commemorates those exciting times when everything seemed possible, through several photographs of other aviation pioneers such as Henri Guillaumet and Pierre-Georges Latécoère.
Saint-Exupéry Suite at Le Grand Balcon
3.Tribute in the Royal Garden
A globe of the world and, above it, a man holding a book from which a tiny child emerges. That work of the sculptress Madeleine Tezenas it was Toulouse's homage to the aviator in 2000, on the occasion of the centenary of his birth. It is located in the royal garden , the first public park inaugurated in the city -in 1754-. It measures no less than two hectares, and stands out as a beautiful orchard in a city that makes it difficult, since it is full of them.