Written for Ambassador Laurent Bili
Dear friends,
It’s wonderful to be here with you today, to celebrate Antoine de Saint Exupéry and his timeless novella, The Little Prince, a beautiful piece of literature that still carries a universal message today.
As you know, this year marks the 80th anniversary of the publication of The Little Prince. In honor of this special occasion, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, will be unveiling a bronze sculpture of the iconic fictional character at the garden entrance of Villa Albertine later today.
The Villa Albertine welcomes thousands of visitors every month to attend cultural events and explore the incredible selection of French and American literature at the bookstore. Now, when they arrive, they will be greeted by a playful depiction of the little prince, sculpted by Jean-Marc de Pas.
New Yorkers and tourists of all backgrounds will be able to sit next to this charming character and precocious philosopher, and remember his profound message.
The Little Prince is written for children, but it is a parable that speaks to readers of all ages and cultures. It’s one of the works of literature that has been most widely translated in the world.
It’s a story that celebrates the wisdom of children and childhood; that teaches us how to form bonds of friendship and love; and to see with the heart rather than the eyes.
It is also a novella that carries a message that is still very relevant today.
Behind the story of the little prince who travels to 7 different planets is a message about being open to new discoveries and perspectives.
Behind the story of the little prince who speaks to people and creatures on the planet he visits– if I remember correctly there is a businessman, a geographer, a king, a fox, a man whose occupation is to lights lamps, a conceited man, — learning something from all of them, is a message of tolerance and humility.
Peace
Behind the story of the little prince who makes friends with a wild animal that many other humans would hunt– a fox — is a parable of how we can break the cycle of violence by getting to know the other, regardless of how different from us they may seem at first.
Care for the planet
Behind the story of the little prince who devotes endless care and love to a flower and the volcanoes on his planet is a message of living in harmony with nature and animals.
Exploration
Behind the story of the little prince who travels from planet to planet, developing a better and better understanding of himself and others, is a message of how much we can learn from exploration and discovery.
As France’s ambassador to the US, I am delighted that Saint-Exupéry has been able to share and hopefully impart this kind, tolerant outlook to so many generations all over the world.
I also believe that in addition to the many personal lessons that we can learn from the beloved classic, The Little Prince puts forward a vision and a philosophy that still has a lot to teach our societies in the present, and that is still important for the common project that France and the US have embarked upon as friends and allies for the past century.
With its simple and poetic language, The Little Prince reminds us to strive to welcome people from all over the world and embrace different cultures, to seek peaceful solutions to global conflicts, to protect the planet, and to innovate and explore new frontiers. France and the US are already doing many of these things, though we still have much more progress to make.
So because The Little Prince still has something to say to us on so many levels: personal, transcultural and global, it’s a real privilege to welcome a statue in its honor and to be here with you today.
Thank you.
