An illustration by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry showing a likeness of his renowned novella “The Little Prince”, decorating an agonized love letter, has been sold recently at auction for 240,500 euros in France.
According to The Associated Press, the watercolor, done around 1942, shows “The Little Prince” sitting at a desk with a long scroll of writing tumbling down the globe — representing an 11-page letter to a woman.
Auction house Artcurial said that it was probably Saint-Exupéry’s last correspondence before his plane disappeared in 1944 on a mission in World War II.
Who was the recipient of this love letter?
In 1942, Saint-Exupéry was with his wife Consuelo de Saint Exupéry (Consuelo Suncin Sandoval), who was from El Salvador. They married in 1931, but Saint-Exupéry began a long affair with another woman, Hélène (Nelly) de Vogüé, about four years after their marriage. Although most of Saint-Exupéry’s love letters were addressed to his wife, the recipient of this particular letter still remains unknown.
