Den lille prins (1943)

Dit is een van de boeken die (vroeger) verplichte lectuur op school waren. Toen, begin jaren '90, las ik niet zo graag en al zeker niet op commando. Maar toch moest ik dit lezen, gelukkig wel de Nederlandstalige vertaling. Maar dan nog vond ik het geen goed verhaal; ik begreep het niet, de achterliggende gedachte.

Dit is geen kinderboek (ondanks het prinsje, ondanks de kinderlijke tekeningen die het boek een bepaalde charme geven, ...), al gaf dhr. de Saint-Exupéry wel weer hoe ons denken over onszelf, de wereld rondom ons, enz. enorm verandert eens we geen kind meer zijn. Een kind kijkt anders tegenover de wereld aan, zie de zaken iets "zuiverder".

Vorige maand (juli 2017) vond ik een heruitgave (van de Nederlandstalige editie) van dit verhaal, zij het lichtjes aangepast (we bevinden ons namelijk in het tijdperk van de Euro). Ik had me het voorbije jaar voorgenomen deze klassieker te herlezen, hetzij in het Frans, hetzij in het Nederlands.

Mijns inziens is dit verhaal beter te begrijpen als volwassene dan als kind. Al kan dit wellicht ook liggen aan je opvoeding, je opgroeien, enz. Maar zoals bijv. de boeken van [a:Walter Moers|34878|Walter Moers|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1345421974p2/34878.jpg], is ook 'De kleine prins' eerder voor (jong-)volwassenen dan voor kinderen.

Kortweg: Best een aanradertje, zeker gezien de filo/psychologische aspecten.

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This was such a sweet and inspirational little story. I never read it as a child, but I've heard it mentioned alongside children's classics that I adore, so when I spotted it on a display at my local library I decided to pick it up. Not only is this a beautifully imaginative story, but it's also an insightful commentary into human nature.
Yes! Grown-ups are strange! They are too focused on numbers and not aware of what really matters.
My favorite aspect is the part with the Little Prince and the flower. First, let's be real, that flower is a needy dramatic bitch. But he loves her anyway and I found that so sweet. Even flawed people are worthy of love! And sometimes we find ourselves in love with the most flawed of people. This portion of the story actually reminded me a lot of the classic "Of Human Bondage."
The flower can not admit she is wrong, she fakes illness, she lies, she is self-absorbed and relies completely on the Little Prince. And while he resents her at first, he realizes he loves her despite her prickliness. There is such an unwavering truth about love her. The fox explains it so aptly, "It's the time you spent on your rose that makes your rose so important."
Yes! I believe in this with all my heart. Love isn't something that happens TO you. There is no 'finding the one' because love isn't something you can find. It's like the people the Little Prince sees on the trains, going here and there, having no idea what they are looking for. You CAN'T find love. You choose to create it, with someone else, by committing to them. Commitment is love. And that's all there is to it. Love is time and effort and perseverance, and mutual respect, which it does seem that lovely rose is lacking.
Still, I hope the Little Prince DID make it home to her after the snake bit him. I hope he made it home and she grew to be a little more tolerable and be less needy in their relationship.

A gorgeous love story with innovative metaphors.

The folly of the adults was apt. There's the man who lights a streetlamp and then puts it out only a minute later, over and over and over again, because he once had orders to do it. Even though the rotation of his planet has changed, he keeps doing it. He's blindly following orders that make him miserable and his lighting and putting out the streetlamp doesn't do any good to anybody. But he goes along. Senseless bureaucracy. He finds meaning in the task, even though, whether he does it or not wouldn't really do anything for anybody. It doesn't matter. Except that it matters to HIM. There's some Sartre brand existentialism here. Which I guess isn't surprising, considering a WW2 era French dude wrote this. ( )

7 eu ( )

7 eu ( )

Muy buen libro, aunque es para niños, es indispensable que si no lo ha leído lo hagas. Lectura ligera y muy rápido de terminar. ( )