Vietnamese Women Publishing House reprints the classic book The Little Prince (original French title: Le petit prince ) by author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, translated by Nguyen Tan Dai for the third time.
The Little Prince was first published in 1943 in New York (USA). By 2013, the book had more than 1,300 different translations in more than 270 languages, selling about 145 million copies.
In the research and criticism circles of both literature and pedagogy, The Little Prince is considered a work that can be read and understood easily by all ages, of all races, and across all cultures.
Children understand The Little Prince in a childlike way, adults understand it in an adult way, and the elderly understand the hidden layers of meaning that only come to light through their life experiences.
Cover of the book "The Little Prince" (Photo: Vietnamese Women Publishing House).
In Vietnam, since the first translation in 1966, there have been more than a dozen translations by different translators.
"I hope my translation will retain the author's important messages, as well as the poetic rhythm of the boy's journey to explore the universe and the depths of the human heart.
Even though many people have read it, or read it over and over again, who knows, maybe every time we read it again, we will have a new discovery!" , said translator Nguyen Tan Dai.
The special Cham version of The Little Prince was translated by Inrawira Indrajaya (from An Giang). The Jean-Marc Probst Foundation for the Little Prince sponsored the printing of 800 books to give to Cham students in Vietnam.
Cham version of "The Little Prince" (right) (Photo: Vietnamese Women Publishing House).
The Little Prince is about a boy who lives alone on a small asteroid B612 with three volcanoes (one of which is extinct) and a beautiful rose.
Although he took good care of the flower, it often became irritable and upset. Not understanding why, he was very confused and sad and decided to travel to other planets to find a friend.
That lingering anxiety haunted the Little Prince throughout his journey, just like the way he asked questions and repeated them over and over again until he received no answers.
The strange fate between the author and the main character is clearly shown through each encounter on each planet the Little Prince visits, through the way he responds and perceives everything around him in the simplest yet most essential meaning.
If someone tells you that this work is difficult to understand, don't worry! You can completely "touch" them, "make them closer", so that they can accompany you on your journey to find friendship, with an endless love.
Let's start the story with the following statement: " Once upon a time, there was a little prince who lived on an asteroid barely bigger than he was, and he wished for a friend…".
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was born in 1900 in Lyon (France). He was a rebellious student, but a dreamer and passionate about poetry. In 1921, he joined the air force and learned to fly. The sky became a great passion in his life.
When World War II broke out, he was called up to serve as a fighter pilot. In 1941, he settled in the United States, exchanging letters with a friend living in exile named Léon Werth.
These letters were later collected in Letters to a Hostage (1944). Also in the US, he published the works Fighter Pilot (1942) and The Little Prince (1943).
On July 31, 1944, on his 10th mission, Antoine never returned.
After his disappearance, his unpublished works were published one after another: Citadel (1948), Letters from Youth (1953), Notebook (1953), Meaning of Life (1956), and Wartime Stories (1962).
To date, Antoine is best known for his classic work The Little Prince .
Translator Nguyen Tan Dai, 45 years old, is a researcher in education and science communication, living and working in Ho Chi Minh City. His translation of The Little Prince was first published in 2005.
This translation was first revised in 2011, and secondly revised in 2020. The Vietnamese Women's Publishing House officially published the second edition (2021), reprinted with revisions (2022), and continued to reprint the third edition (2023).
Vietnamese Women's Publishing House, together with the French Institute in Hanoi and Nghia Tan Primary School, organized the event Following the Footsteps of the Little Prince.
Time: 8:30 - 10:00, September 26.
Location : Nghia Tan Primary School (Cau Giay District, Hanoi).
Main activities at the meeting:
- Display of the book The Little Prince in Cham language.
- Exhibition of paintings of the Little Prince.
- Display of Little Prince Ao Dai.
- Exchange with Mr. Jean-Marc Probst - Director of the Jean-Marc Probst Foundation for the Little Prince .
- Exchange with translator Nguyen Tan Dai.
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