What really might have happened to Antoine de Saint Exupery?
I don’t know what I think about this new theory that it might have been a suicide. Couldn’t it have been plain old technical failure? Will they be able to discern that from the wreckage?
(via Book Slut – who also wrote a lengthy piece called The Overlooked Works of Antoine de Saint Exupery. As someone who has read all of his stuff, not just Le Petit Prince I can second the recommendation that you really should also read Night Flight and Wind, Sand, and Stars.)
I also strongly recommend “Flight to Arras.” It’s about St-Ex’s thoughts during the course of a single reconnaisance mission in 1940; a mission from which he did not expect to return. An overwhelming book.
I think we talked about this before…
What ever happened to him, one thing is clear: there were no Germans around at the time. It has always been extremely improbable that he was shot down.
That leaves mechanical failure of the aircraft, pilot error, pilot incapacitation, or suicide.
St. Ex. had crashed the Lightning before, and as the article says, wouldn’t have been flying at all but for his political clout. I’ve always thought that pilot error was a likely scenario.
I didn’t know the details in the story about St Ex’s behavior immediately before the flight. It’s interesting how his reputation has been protected against the apparent reality of his life. While I have no idea if he crashed the F-5 on purpose, I think it’s pretty clear that whatever happened was his fault.
Even more interesting in the story, however, was how France has reacted to the efforts to get to the truth about what happened. As in many other cases, the French seem actively uninterested in the truth or the reality, preferring to hold on to a fantasy. France has a fascinating and beautiful culture, but it is doomed.
CW – Yeah – I posted about it when they found his plane. I guess I am always more interested in reality, even if it messes up my mythology of the man. You know what I mean? I would like to know what was REALLY going on with him.
Note to self: Bring in the Lindbergh excerpt, Sheila. It’s good good stuff.