Léon Werth
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Léon Werth (1878-1955) was a French writer and art critic, friend of Octave Mirbeau, then of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
First world war, colonisation, French "collaboration" during the second world war... Léon Werth wrote without kindness and with a great précision about the French society.
Saint-Exupery met Werth in 1931 and soon he became the closest friend Saint-Exupery had outside of his flying group of Aeropostale.
Werth had not much in common with Exupery, he was anarchist, his father was Jew, and left Bolshevik supporter. Twenty-two years older then Saint-Exupery, with surrealistic writing style, author of twelve volumes, and many magazine pieces, he was opposite of what Saint-Exupery was.
Saint Exupery dedicated two books to him (Letter to a Hostage, The Little Prince) and referred Werth in three more. The dedication in the preface of The Little prince is one of the most charming dedications ever written. During the begging of World War II, while writing The Little Prince Exupery lived in his apartment at downtown New York City, thinking about his France and his friends. Leon Werth spent the war unobtrusively in Saint-Amour, his village in Jura, a montain région close to Swizterland where we "was alone, cold and hungry", without many nice words about French refugees. Saint-Exupery returned to Europe in early 1943, "I cannot bear to be far from those who are hungry ... I am leaving in order to suffer and thereby be united with those who are dear to me."
At the end of World War II, which Antoine de Saint Exupery didn't live to see, Leon Werth said: " Peace, without Tonio (Exupery) isn't entirely peace." Leon Werth did not see the text for which he was so much responsible until five months after his friend's death, when Galimard sent him a special edition.
Contents |
[edit] The Little Prince dedication
To Léon Werth
I ask the indulgence of the children who may read this book for dedicating it to a grown-up. I have a serious reason: he is the best friend I have in the world. I have another reason: this grown-up understands everything, even books about children. I have a third reason: he lives in France where he is hungry and cold. He needs cheering up. If all these reasons are not enough, I will dedicate the book to the child from whom this grown-up grew. All grown-ups were once children, although few of them remember it. And so I correct my dedication:
To Léon Werth, When he was a little boy
[edit] Books
in italic, titles translation
- 33 jours (33 Days)
- Clavel chez les majors
- La maison blanche (The White House)
- Clavel soldat (Clavel soldier)
- Cochinchine
- Le destin de Marco
- Le monde et la ville (The World and the City)
- Impressions d'audience
- Saint-Exupéry, tel que je l'ai connu (Saint-Exupéry as I knew him)
- Caserne 1900
- Déposition / Journal 1940 - 1944
- Voyages avec ma pipe (Travels With My Pipe)
[edit] Biography
"L'insoumis - Léon Werth" by Gilles Heuré.
[edit] External links
In French
