THE LITTLE PRINCE, written and illustrated by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (translated by Katherine Woods, 1943; translated by Richard Howard, 2000); 86 pages; Harcourt Brace; $18.
"Once when I was six I saw a magnificent picture in a book about the jungle called 'True Stories.' It showed a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal . . . Here is a copy of the drawing . . . ."
Thus begins one of the most popular fables of all times, "The Little Prince," by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. It is said that this extraordinary story changes the reader forever in some way, in some degree.
"The Little Prince" was translated from French by Katherine Woods in April 1943, a year before Antoine de Saint-Exupery was shot down over the Mediterranean by German reconnaissance planes.
For 57 years, this version has been read and universally cherished by children and adults alike. Young readers have loved the improbability of a little person who lives on a planet no bigger than a house where he owns three volcanoes (two active and one extinct) and a flower, unlike any other flower in the galaxy.
Adults have also loved the improbability of the story but have reflected on the probability of its message. When the Little Prince travels to Earth, he learns from a fox the secret of what is really important in life. The tender lesson — with the barbs of many fables — attunes our ears to the wisdom of hidden truths. What is vanity? What about people who put everything in the bank? Or those who are too busy to explore?
In celebration of Saint-Exupery's 100th birthday, a new translation of "The Little Prince," by Richard Howard, is being issued. While anyone who has grown up with this fable may resist possible changes to a treasured literary piece, the fact that the original artwork is being restored was a good sign, and I read the new version with trepidation.
Many of the changes are syntactic. Woods's "small person" is interpreted by Howard as "little fellow" and "speedy disappearance" has been replaced by "imminent disappearance." While there are dozens of these changes, there was nothing that distracted from the beauty of this adventure. In fact, Howard's version has a more classical-type language, more fluid sentences and neater paragraphs.
There is no meddling with the inner-message of the children who know about the wonder of sunsets and have to be very understanding of grown-ups because they are no longer interested in anything but numbers. Each translator has handled with finesse the fox's message, which is " . . . one sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes . . . ."
I have to admit the Howard translation made me cry again, as I did when I first read "The Little Prince" in 1943.In his notes he never hedges when it comes to reason and cause for a new translation of "The Little Prince." He says, "A new version of a work 57 years old is entitled and, indeed, is obliged to persist further in the letter of that work." He notes that Woods' pioneer endeavor (the 1943 translation) refers back to "period makeshifts," rather than confronting the author's true originality. The new edition does honor that originality and moves forward "to be inordinate instead of placating or merely plausible."
What a wonderful celebration of an author's life through this reissue of a classic that will go down for another 57 years as a "must read."
Marilou Sorensen can be reached at marilou.sorensen@worldnet.att.net