Wind, Sand and Stars
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wind, Sand and Stars (French title:Terre des hommes (Land of Men)) is a memoir by Antoine de Saint Exupéry published in 1939. The pilot and philosopher recounts several episodes from his years flying treacherous mail routes across the Sahara and the Andes. The central incident details the 1935 plane crash he survived in the Libyan Sahara Desert, between Benghazi and Cairo. Saint-Exupéry, and his navigator André Prévot, are left almost without water and food, as chances of finding an oasis or help from the air gradually decrease. The book illustrates the author's view of the world and his opinions of what makes life worth living.
The charity Terre des hommes was named after this book.
[edit] Awards
- Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française, 1939.
- Outside magazine voted it #1 of all time out of a list of 25 adventure/explorer books.
- National Geographic Adventure magazine voted in #3 of all time out of a list of 100 adventure/explorer books.
[edit] External links
- Outside Magazine The 25 (Essential) Books for the Well-Read Explorer.
- National Geographic Adventure: 100 Best Adventure Books
- Review by Bobby Matherne.
- Complete text of Terre des hommes (French, public domain in Canada)