Book Description
This book discusses the concept of "engagement" (commitment) in the life and works of the French author/pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. This is a literary study concentrating on four major works: "Courrier Sud, Vol de nuit, Terre des hommes," and "Pilote de guerre." The study opens with a discussion of the influence of World War I on post-war literature, defines "engagement", and compares concepts among Saint-Exupéry, Sartre, Camus, Malraux, and Hemingway. Following is an examination of the role of the airplane and flight in the literature of the 1920s and 1930s and an analysis of Saint-Exupéry's personal experiences as reflected in "Courrier Sud" and in "Vol de nuit." There is a further examination of how the author's life is mirrored in "Terre des hommes" and "Pilote de guerre." There is a final investigation of certain challenges and inspirations that demonstrate Saint-Exupéry's view of "engagement" in relation to the four major topics of his works: nature, the desert, flight, and the enemy.

FROM THE PUBLISHER