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Letter to a Hostage
Während seines Exils in den Vereinigten Staaten schreibt Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 1941 seinem langjährigen Freund Léon Werth, der sich als Jude im besetzten Frankreich vor den Nazis verstecken muss, einen fiktiven Brief. Darin erzählt er von seiner Reise als Flüchtling, seinen Erlebnissen in der Wüste und verbindet dies mit tiefgreifenden Gedanken über Freundschaft und das »Wesentliche« im Leben.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1944
93 people are currently reading
1776 people want to read
About the author
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
1,545 books8,735 followersPeople best know French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry for his fairy tale
The Little Prince
(1943).
He flew for the first time at the age of 12 years in 1912 at the Ambérieu airfield and then determined to a pilot. Even after moving to a school in Switzerland and spending summer vacations at the château of the family at Saint-Maurice-de-Rémens in east, he kept that ambition. He repeatedly uses the house at Saint-Maurice.
Later, in Paris, he failed the entrance exams for the naval academy and instead enrolled at the prestigious l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts. In 1921, Saint-Exupéry, stationed in Strasbourg, began serving in the military. He learned and forever settled his career path as a pilot. After leaving the service in 1923, Saint-Exupéry worked in several professions but in 1926 went back and signed as a pilot for Aéropostale, a private airline that from Toulouse flew mail to Dakar, Senegal. In 1927, Saint-Exupéry accepted the position of airfield chief for Cape Juby in southern Morocco and began his first book, a memoir, called Southern Mail and published in 1929.
He then moved briefly to Buenos Aires to oversee the establishment of an Argentinean mail service, returned to Paris in 1931, and then published Night Flight , which won instant success and the prestigious Prix Femina. Always daring Saint-Exupéry tried from Paris in 1935 to break the speed record for flying to Saigon. Unfortunately, his plane crashed in the Libyan Desert, and he and his copilot trudged through the sand for three days to find help. In 1938, a second plane crash at that time, as he tried to fly between city of New York and Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, seriously injured him. The crash resulted in a long convalescence in New York.
He published Wind, Sand and Stars , next novel, in 1939. This great success won the grand prize for novel of the academy and the national book award in the United States. Saint-Exupéry flew reconnaissance missions at the beginning of the Second World War but went to New York to ask the United States for help when the Germans occupied his country. He drew on his wartime experiences to publish Flight to Arras and Letter to a Hostage in 1942.
Later in 1943, Saint-Exupéry rejoined his air squadron in northern Africa. From earlier plane crashes, Saint-Exupéry still suffered physically, and people forbade him to fly, but he insisted on a mission. From Borgo, Corsica, on 31 July 1944, he set to overfly occupied region. He never returned.
He flew for the first time at the age of 12 years in 1912 at the Ambérieu airfield and then determined to a pilot. Even after moving to a school in Switzerland and spending summer vacations at the château of the family at Saint-Maurice-de-Rémens in east, he kept that ambition. He repeatedly uses the house at Saint-Maurice.
Later, in Paris, he failed the entrance exams for the naval academy and instead enrolled at the prestigious l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts. In 1921, Saint-Exupéry, stationed in Strasbourg, began serving in the military. He learned and forever settled his career path as a pilot. After leaving the service in 1923, Saint-Exupéry worked in several professions but in 1926 went back and signed as a pilot for Aéropostale, a private airline that from Toulouse flew mail to Dakar, Senegal. In 1927, Saint-Exupéry accepted the position of airfield chief for Cape Juby in southern Morocco and began his first book, a memoir, called Southern Mail and published in 1929.
He then moved briefly to Buenos Aires to oversee the establishment of an Argentinean mail service, returned to Paris in 1931, and then published Night Flight , which won instant success and the prestigious Prix Femina. Always daring Saint-Exupéry tried from Paris in 1935 to break the speed record for flying to Saigon. Unfortunately, his plane crashed in the Libyan Desert, and he and his copilot trudged through the sand for three days to find help. In 1938, a second plane crash at that time, as he tried to fly between city of New York and Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, seriously injured him. The crash resulted in a long convalescence in New York.
He published Wind, Sand and Stars , next novel, in 1939. This great success won the grand prize for novel of the academy and the national book award in the United States. Saint-Exupéry flew reconnaissance missions at the beginning of the Second World War but went to New York to ask the United States for help when the Germans occupied his country. He drew on his wartime experiences to publish Flight to Arras and Letter to a Hostage in 1942.
Later in 1943, Saint-Exupéry rejoined his air squadron in northern Africa. From earlier plane crashes, Saint-Exupéry still suffered physically, and people forbade him to fly, but he insisted on a mission. From Borgo, Corsica, on 31 July 1944, he set to overfly occupied region. He never returned.
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August 23, 2014
Prior to reading this very short work, my only exposure to the writing of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was The Little Prince. (I spent a number of years in the French education system and no child gets out of a French school without reading that book. At least, that was the case when I was a child.) Now I really want to read more of his work.
Saint-Exupéry wrote the book as a tribute to his close friend Léon Werth, a French Jewish writer and art critic to whom The Little Prince was dedicated*. At the time, France was under German occupation. At the beginning of the war, Saint-Exupéry, a well known commercial pilot and author, joined the French air force. He flew missions over Germany and when France fell to the Nazis, Saint-Expupéry escaped via Lisbon and spent more than two years in New York. There he encouraged the United States to enter the war against the Nazis. For the whole period of the war, Werth remained in France, living in hiding in a village in the Jura.
The work is an ode to friendship and to love of country. While Werth is the hostage of the title, Saint-Exupéry saw all French people living under occupation as hostages and the work speaks of the strength of his feeling for them and for France. The prose is beautiful and the sentiments it expresses powerful. This is one of those books that has something to underline on every page. The French edition that I read includes an introduction by Françoise Gerbod, which provides an excellent overview and analysis of the work.
I love this book. It took less than an hour to read and never was an hour better spent. Thank you to my GR friend Chaymâa, whose review alerted me to the existence of the work.
* The English translation of the dedication to Werth in The Little Prince reads:
To Leon Werth
I ask children to forgive me for dedicating this book to a grown-up. I have a serious excuse: this grown-up is the best friend I have in the world. I have another excuse: this grown-up can understand everything, even books for children. I have a third excuse: he lives in France where he is hungry and cold. He needs to be comforted. If all these excuses are not enough then I want to dedicate this book to the child whom this grown-up once was. All grown-ups were children first. (But few of them remember it.) So I correct my dedication:
To Leon Werth,
When he was a little boy
January 31, 2018
That is impressive, the age of a man! That summarises all his life. This maturity of his has taken a long time to achieve. It has grown through so many obstacles conquered, so many serious illnesses cured, so many griefs appeased, so many despairs overcome, so many dangers unconsciously passed. It has grown through so many desires, so many hopes, so many regrets, so many lapses, so much love. The age of a man, that represents a good load of experience and memories. In spite of decoys, jolts, and ruts, you have continued to plod like a horse drawing a cart.
*
THAT IS UNDOUBTEDLY why, my friend, I need your friendship so badly. I long for a companion who, above the disputes of reason, will respect in me the pilgrim of that light. I need to feel sometimes, in advance, the promised warmth, and to rely, beyond myself, upon that rendezvous which will be ours. I am so weary of polemics, exclusiveness and fanaticism. I can come to you without having to wear a uniform, without having to recite the Koran, without denying anything of my inmost world. With you I do not have to justify myself, to plead or to prove; I find peace as I did at Tournus. Beyond awkward words, beyond deceiving statements, you only consider the man in me. You honour in me the ambassador of special beliefs, customs and lore. If I am different from you, far from depriving you, I augment you. You question me as one questions a traveller.
As, like anyone else, I need to be appreciated, I feel pure in you and come to you. I need to go where I am pure. Neither my sayings nor my doings have taught you who I am. But because you have accepted me as I am, you are indulgent, when necessary, towards those doings and sayings. I know that you are prepared to accept me as I am. What could I do with a friend who would judge me? When I welcome a friend, if he is lame, I invite him to sit down and do not ask him to dance.
My friend, I need you as one needs a space where one can breathe. I need to sit by you, once more, on the banks of the Saône, with my elbows on the table of a little old wooden inn, and to invite two bargees, and to drink with them in the peace of a smile like the day.
*
THAT IS UNDOUBTEDLY why, my friend, I need your friendship so badly. I long for a companion who, above the disputes of reason, will respect in me the pilgrim of that light. I need to feel sometimes, in advance, the promised warmth, and to rely, beyond myself, upon that rendezvous which will be ours. I am so weary of polemics, exclusiveness and fanaticism. I can come to you without having to wear a uniform, without having to recite the Koran, without denying anything of my inmost world. With you I do not have to justify myself, to plead or to prove; I find peace as I did at Tournus. Beyond awkward words, beyond deceiving statements, you only consider the man in me. You honour in me the ambassador of special beliefs, customs and lore. If I am different from you, far from depriving you, I augment you. You question me as one questions a traveller.
As, like anyone else, I need to be appreciated, I feel pure in you and come to you. I need to go where I am pure. Neither my sayings nor my doings have taught you who I am. But because you have accepted me as I am, you are indulgent, when necessary, towards those doings and sayings. I know that you are prepared to accept me as I am. What could I do with a friend who would judge me? When I welcome a friend, if he is lame, I invite him to sit down and do not ask him to dance.
My friend, I need you as one needs a space where one can breathe. I need to sit by you, once more, on the banks of the Saône, with my elbows on the table of a little old wooden inn, and to invite two bargees, and to drink with them in the peace of a smile like the day.
February 22, 2016
A beautiful letter to all that he loved and left behind. It's about friends and humanity, and what holds all of us together, and respect of men.
Part II touched me the most. We all need someone to return to, and if we have lost them, the city becomes empty. We don't miss a place, we miss the people left there; and if this link with the homeland disappears, what is left?
Sait-Exupery reminds us of the importance of diversity. The Nazis had a human ideal and they exterminated those who differed from it. But if all humans were the same, progress would be impossible, creative thought would disappear. We need conflicts of thought and word to fulfil ourselves and the world. Being different is not only okay, it is good. Even nowadays we all need someone to remind us that.
Part II touched me the most. We all need someone to return to, and if we have lost them, the city becomes empty. We don't miss a place, we miss the people left there; and if this link with the homeland disappears, what is left?
Sait-Exupery reminds us of the importance of diversity. The Nazis had a human ideal and they exterminated those who differed from it. But if all humans were the same, progress would be impossible, creative thought would disappear. We need conflicts of thought and word to fulfil ourselves and the world. Being different is not only okay, it is good. Even nowadays we all need someone to remind us that.
April 20, 2020
Au lieu de vous faire des éloges sur notre très cher Exupéry et sa fantastique manière de me déchirer le cœur à chaque fois que je le lis, je me permettrai simplement de vous joindre quelques citations ci-dessous :
« Je me disais : je veux bien être un voyageur, je ne veux pas être un émigrant. J'ai appris tant de choses chez moi qui ailleurs seront inutiles. »
« Il faut longtemps cultiver un ami avant qu'il réclame son dû d'amitié. Il faut s'être ruiné durant des générations à réparer le vieux château qui croule, pour apprendre à l'aimer. »
« Un silence même n'y ressemble pas à l'autre silence. »
J'ai décidé de mettre 4 au lieu de 5 étoiles à cause de l'énorme peine que je ressens et cela n'a rien à voir avec l'auteur. Donc, c'est personnel et biais.
« Je me disais : je veux bien être un voyageur, je ne veux pas être un émigrant. J'ai appris tant de choses chez moi qui ailleurs seront inutiles. »
« Il faut longtemps cultiver un ami avant qu'il réclame son dû d'amitié. Il faut s'être ruiné durant des générations à réparer le vieux château qui croule, pour apprendre à l'aimer. »
« Un silence même n'y ressemble pas à l'autre silence. »
J'ai décidé de mettre 4 au lieu de 5 étoiles à cause de l'énorme peine que je ressens et cela n'a rien à voir avec l'auteur. Donc, c'est personnel et biais.
August 9, 2022
“Είν’ εντυπωσιακή η ηλικία ενός ανθρώπου!! Συνοψίζει τη ζωή του. Η ωριμότητα του του παίρνει καιρό ν’ αποκτηθεί. Χτίζεται κόντρα σε τόσα εμπόδια που υπερνικήθηκαν, κόντρα σε τόσες βαριές αρρώστιες που γιατρεύτηκαν, κόντρα σε τόσες λύπες που καταπραΰνθηκαν, κόντρα σε τόση απελπισία που ξεπεράστηκε, κόντρα σε τόσους κινδύνους που οι περισσότεροι ανεπίγνωστα παρήλθαν. Χτίζεται μεσ’ από τόσες επιθυμίες, από τόσες ελπίδες, από τόση μεταμέλεια, από τόση λησμονιά, από τόση αγάπη. Τι φορτίο εμπειρίας κι αναμνήσεων αντιπροσωπεύει στ’ αλήθεια η ηλικία ενός ανθρώπου! Παρά τις παγίδες, τα εμπόδια, τις λακκούβες, συνεχίζεις να βαδίζεις με κόπο, σαν άλογο που σέρνει ένα κάρο. Και τώρα, χάρη σε μια επίμονη σύγκλιση ευτυχών συγκυριών να σαι. Είσαι 37 χρονών. Και, Θεού θέλοντος, η καλή αυτή σούστα θα κουβαλήσει και παραπέρα το φορτίο της από αναμνήσεις”.
Σ’ ένα λιγότερο προβεβλημένο κείμενο του, ο δημιουργός του Μικρού Πρίγκιπα του ήρωα των παιδικών μας χρόνων, στέλνει το δικό μου συμβολικό μήνυμα για τη φιλία. Ένα βιβλίο για όσους και όσα αγάπησε, ένα σύντομο γράμμα ύμνος στην ανθρώπινη ζωή και τα δικαιώματα της, ένα κείμενο που θα θυμίσει σε όλους την ανάγκη που έχουμε να επιστρέφουμε σε κάποιον, την ανάγκη να διατηρούμε δεσμούς άρρηκτους μέσα στο χρόνο.
“Αναμφίβολα γι’ αυτό, φίλε μου χρειάζομαι τόσο τη φιλία σου. Διψώ για έναν σύντροφο που, που πάνω από τις διαφορές και τις έριδες της λογικής, θα σέβεται σ’ εμένα τον οδοιπόρο που βαδίζει προς αυτή την φωτιά. Έχω ανάγκη που και που πέρα από την υπόσχεση της ζέστης, να νιώθω εκ των προτέρων και την ίδια τη ζέστη, και να μη βασίζομαι σ’ εμένα μόνο, αλλά και στη συνάντηση αυτή που θα’ ναι δικιά μας….. Δεν είναι ούτε τα λόγια μου ούτε τα βήματα μου που σου’ χουνε δείξει ποιος είμαι. Είναι η αποδοχή αυτού που είμαι που σ’ έχει κάνει επιεική, όταν χρειάζεται, απέναντι σ’ αυτά τα βήματα και σ’ αυτά τα λόγια. Σε ευγνωμονώ που με δέχεσαι όπως είμαι. Τι να τον κάνω έναν φίλο που θα μ’ έκρινε; Όταν υποδέχομαι έναν φίλο στο τραπέζι μου, τον προσκαλώ να καθίσει, αν είναι κουτσός, και δεν του ζητώ να χορέψει”.
Σ’ ένα λιγότερο προβεβλημένο κείμενο του, ο δημιουργός του Μικρού Πρίγκιπα του ήρωα των παιδικών μας χρόνων, στέλνει το δικό μου συμβολικό μήνυμα για τη φιλία. Ένα βιβλίο για όσους και όσα αγάπησε, ένα σύντομο γράμμα ύμνος στην ανθρώπινη ζωή και τα δικαιώματα της, ένα κείμενο που θα θυμίσει σε όλους την ανάγκη που έχουμε να επιστρέφουμε σε κάποιον, την ανάγκη να διατηρούμε δεσμούς άρρηκτους μέσα στο χρόνο.
“Αναμφίβολα γι’ αυτό, φίλε μου χρειάζομαι τόσο τη φιλία σου. Διψώ για έναν σύντροφο που, που πάνω από τις διαφορές και τις έριδες της λογικής, θα σέβεται σ’ εμένα τον οδοιπόρο που βαδίζει προς αυτή την φωτιά. Έχω ανάγκη που και που πέρα από την υπόσχεση της ζέστης, να νιώθω εκ των προτέρων και την ίδια τη ζέστη, και να μη βασίζομαι σ’ εμένα μόνο, αλλά και στη συνάντηση αυτή που θα’ ναι δικιά μας….. Δεν είναι ούτε τα λόγια μου ούτε τα βήματα μου που σου’ χουνε δείξει ποιος είμαι. Είναι η αποδοχή αυτού που είμαι που σ’ έχει κάνει επιεική, όταν χρειάζεται, απέναντι σ’ αυτά τα βήματα και σ’ αυτά τα λόγια. Σε ευγνωμονώ που με δέχεσαι όπως είμαι. Τι να τον κάνω έναν φίλο που θα μ’ έκρινε; Όταν υποδέχομαι έναν φίλο στο τραπέζι μου, τον προσκαλώ να καθίσει, αν είναι κουτσός, και δεν του ζητώ να χορέψει”.
May 23, 2021
#2019ReadingChallenge
#6.0diem3sao
Thư gửi một con tin - Ơ rồi con tin là ai vậy nhỉ, mình đọc xong rồi mà vẫn chưa biết nữa
https://thuvienthaodien.wordpress.com...
Tập sách nhỏ gồm hai bức thư, một bức thư gửi cho con tin, và một bức gửi cho tướng X. Nhưng Antoine chỉ viết thư vậy thôi, chứ hông gửi bức nào cả, có lẽ ông tự gửi cho chính mình cũng nên. Cuốn sách thể hiện những triết lý nhân sinh của tác giả, và thực sự chúng quá tầm với mình. Mình đọc bản dịch của Bửu Ý, một dịch giả có tiếng, mà vẫn chả hiểu rốt cuộc mình đang đọc cái gì, chứ đọc bản gốc chắc điếc luôn quá.
Chắc cuốn sách sẽ hợp với những bạn thích triết học, thích cái gì đó phức tạp. Chứ đầu óc mình đơn giản lắm, cảm tưởng như đang đọc bản thu nhỏ của môn Mác Lênin vậy. Mình đọc bản cũ trước 1975 nhé, nhưng chắc những cuốn tái bản cũng sẽ giống vậy thôi, vì chả có nội dung gì nhạy cảm đâu.
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Thư Gửi Một Con Tin | Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1944)
Sài Gòn, 18/01/2019
Đánh giá: 6.0/10 điểm
#6.0diem3sao
Thư gửi một con tin - Ơ rồi con tin là ai vậy nhỉ, mình đọc xong rồi mà vẫn chưa biết nữa
https://thuvienthaodien.wordpress.com...
Tập sách nhỏ gồm hai bức thư, một bức thư gửi cho con tin, và một bức gửi cho tướng X. Nhưng Antoine chỉ viết thư vậy thôi, chứ hông gửi bức nào cả, có lẽ ông tự gửi cho chính mình cũng nên. Cuốn sách thể hiện những triết lý nhân sinh của tác giả, và thực sự chúng quá tầm với mình. Mình đọc bản dịch của Bửu Ý, một dịch giả có tiếng, mà vẫn chả hiểu rốt cuộc mình đang đọc cái gì, chứ đọc bản gốc chắc điếc luôn quá.
Chắc cuốn sách sẽ hợp với những bạn thích triết học, thích cái gì đó phức tạp. Chứ đầu óc mình đơn giản lắm, cảm tưởng như đang đọc bản thu nhỏ của môn Mác Lênin vậy. Mình đọc bản cũ trước 1975 nhé, nhưng chắc những cuốn tái bản cũng sẽ giống vậy thôi, vì chả có nội dung gì nhạy cảm đâu.
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Thư Gửi Một Con Tin | Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1944)
Sài Gòn, 18/01/2019
Đánh giá: 6.0/10 điểm
February 12, 2024
Bewegendes Zeugnis der Menschlichkeit: In einem Moment des Wunders, wie ihn Saint-Exupéry beschreibt, können sich Menschen durch kleinste Gesten aus ihren Funktionen (Soldat, Polizist, Demonstrant etc.) lösen und sich auf einer menschlichen Ebene begegnen. Mit großer Empathie und aus der Gewissheit, dass der Geist des Nazionalsozialismus diese zutiefst notwendige menschliche Ebene nicht zulässt, erschafft der Autor selbst ein kleines großes Wunder.
April 8, 2023
متنی شاعرانه از اگزوپری که یادآوری میکند احترام به تمام انسانها - و نه فقط آنها که شبیه ما هستند - اجازه ورود فاشیسم را نمیدهد و راه نجات پیروی از این تفکر است.
October 2, 2022
A memorable book written by Antoine Saint-Exupéry.
INDICE
Nota Introdutória: breve história da Carta a um Amigo
Carta a um Refém
Posfácio: Uma vida entre o deserto e as estrelas
INDICE
Nota Introdutória: breve história da Carta a um Amigo
Carta a um Refém
Posfácio: Uma vida entre o deserto e as estrelas
April 17, 2020
Εκείνος, για τον οποίον το να πετάς και το να γράφεις είναι ένα και το αυτό, έγραψε ένα τρυφερό έργο.
Ένας δεύτερος τίτλος του βιβλίου θα μπορούσε να είναι Σεβασμός προς τον Άνθρωπο, αφού αυτό επαναλαμβάνει ξανά και ξανά.
Να όμως που σήμερα ο σεβασμός προς τον άνθρωπο, η προϋπόθεση για την εξύψωσή μας, κινδυνεύει. Οι ρωγμές του σύγχρονου κόσμου μας έχουν παγιδέψει στο έρεβος.
Αναγνωρίζουμε ως δικούς μας αυτούς ακριβώς που διαφέρουν από εμάς. Ο ένας για τον άλλον, είμαστε οδοιπόροι που βαδίζουμε με κόπο, από διαφορετικά μονοπάτια, προς τον ίδιο τόπο συνάντησης.
Θέλω να'μαι ταξιδιώτης, αλλά όχι και πρόσφυγας.
Σεβασμός προς τον Άνθρωπο!
Ένας δεύτερος τίτλος του βιβλίου θα μπορούσε να είναι Σεβασμός προς τον Άνθρωπο, αφού αυτό επαναλαμβάνει ξανά και ξανά.
Να όμως που σήμερα ο σεβασμός προς τον άνθρωπο, η προϋπόθεση για την εξύψωσή μας, κινδυνεύει. Οι ρωγμές του σύγχρονου κόσμου μας έχουν παγιδέψει στο έρεβος.
Αναγνωρίζουμε ως δικούς μας αυτούς ακριβώς που διαφέρουν από εμάς. Ο ένας για τον άλλον, είμαστε οδοιπόροι που βαδίζουμε με κόπο, από διαφορετικά μονοπάτια, προς τον ίδιο τόπο συνάντησης.
Θέλω να'μαι ταξιδιώτης, αλλά όχι και πρόσφυγας.
Σεβασμός προς τον Άνθρωπο!
January 1, 2013
At a time of wars and violence and while he was waiting in Portugal for a passage to the United States, the aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote an inspiring letter to his friend Léon Werth, a hostage.
« Lettre à un otage » is about friendship and humanity. It is about homesickness healed by hope. It is about the importance of respect. Respect. Respect. And respect; the foundation of civilizations. It is about a smile..
I normally underline in books but I gave up underlining in this book so much every sentence was a combination of beauty, wisdom and truth.
« Lettre à un otage » is about friendship and humanity. It is about homesickness healed by hope. It is about the importance of respect. Respect. Respect. And respect; the foundation of civilizations. It is about a smile..
I normally underline in books but I gave up underlining in this book so much every sentence was a combination of beauty, wisdom and truth.
September 15, 2015
چه شادی هایی در دیوار های محافظ و محصور این کودکی نهفته است ! من به خوبی می دانم چه اتفاقی می افتد : اول کودکی ، مدرسه، دوستان هم مدرسه ای و سپس امتحاناتی که باید گذراند یک جور دیپلم به ما داده می شود. فشردگی قلب، از ورودی ای می گذریم که قریب الوقوع مرد هستیم.
رد پاهایمان وزن بیشتری را بر زمین تحمیل می کند
رد پاهایمان وزن بیشتری را بر زمین تحمیل می کند
June 18, 2022
یادداشتی کوتاه از اگزوپری در مورد وطن و مهاجران از وطن که بخاطر جنگ کشور خود را رها کردهاند
در این نوشته عمیق، به خوبی به همدلی و کنار هم قرار گرفتن انسانها در شرایط مختلف پرداخته شده و انسان ترک کننده وطن در سختی، مورد نکوهش قرار گرفته
در این نوشته عمیق، به خوبی به همدلی و کنار هم قرار گرفتن انسانها در شرایط مختلف پرداخته شده و انسان ترک کننده وطن در سختی، مورد نکوهش قرار گرفته
April 24, 2020
I wish I could have met him in person. Just to feel the depth of his thoughts. But again, in his own words, 'He will never again be here with me, but neither will he ever be absent.'
October 1, 2025
This is more an essay than a book, but I wanted a bit more St-Ex after Wind, Sand, and Stars. It is striking, in these times, to listen to St-Ex's thoughts on the basic flaws in authoritarianism, starting with its fundamental lack of respect for humanity, which manifests itself in lack of tolerance for free speech, and absolute suppression of ideas that do not support those of the regime. He describes his time in Lisbon waiting for passage to London with a bit of disguised self-loathing at having escaped when so many of his friends suffered under the German occupation. I am reminded of A.J. Liebling's account of realizing with a start at lunch in Lisbon, after he had spent weeks waiting for a ship to London, that he had not thought of France all day. And it made him ashamed.
But ultimately, the Letter is an expression of love for friend (Leon Werth) suffering under that regime, and of St-Ex's frustration at his inability to help, though in the end he died fighting the regime, and Werth lived another ten years after the war. And in fact, the charismatic St-Ex did much to rally opinion in the US against the Nazi's in the days before Pearl Harbor forced the government's hand, so he need not have blamed himself, but that was his nature, good man that he was.
But ultimately, the Letter is an expression of love for friend (Leon Werth) suffering under that regime, and of St-Ex's frustration at his inability to help, though in the end he died fighting the regime, and Werth lived another ten years after the war. And in fact, the charismatic St-Ex did much to rally opinion in the US against the Nazi's in the days before Pearl Harbor forced the government's hand, so he need not have blamed himself, but that was his nature, good man that he was.
May 19, 2025
pas aimé.
April 22, 2021
Antoine de Saint-Exupery's "Letter to a Hostage" is one of many literary classics that I for a long time neglected until now, my 2021 reading challenge being a motivation to read as many of them as possible. This book is an odd reading experience as well, being a non-fiction polemical and philosophical work by the author of The Little Prince about the plight of Europeans living under fascist regimes in World War Two and what it says about the human condition in general. The "Hostage" referred to in the title refers both in a concrete sense to Saint-Exupery's Jewish friend and correspondent Leon Werth, who was in hiding at the time under the German occupation... as well as the entire countries of France under Pétain, Portugal under Salazar and Spain under Franco.
The very incident that inspired "The Little Prince", where his plane crashed in the North African desert, is referenced in detail. The thoughts about humanity's place in the universe he made while marooned in the desert, which he wrote "The Little Prince" to express in a fantastical allegorical form, appear here as well in a more dry and academic fashion.
There are also plenty of picturesque descriptions of Brittany, Portugal and Spain to be found in here, as well as the author's thoughts on such fantastic subject matter as leylines. (I find that endearing, other readers might find it cringeworthy) One of my favourite chapters revolves not around WW2 proper as much as the European theatre's dress rehearsal namely the Spanish Civil War. During that conflict, Saint-Exupery himself was taken prisoner by Catalan anarchist guerrilla fighters whom he got along with much better than expected. Indeed, Saint-Exupery comes across here as a man with faith in the human spirit but not so much faith in utopian modern ideologies like anarchism, fascism, Leninism and so on.
This impression of Saint-Exupery as a man disenchanted with 20th century civilisation, but not humanity overall, is reinforced by another short text included in the edition I read: "Letter to a General". The General whom the letter is directed to is NOT Philippe Pétain as the reader might expect, but instead one of his superiors on the Allied side. In that letter Saint-Exupery laments the dehumanising and industrialised nature of modern warfare, where the sense of chivalric honour that at least existed in pre-modern warfare becomes rarer and rarer.
People who read "The Little Prince" as children and would like to know more about the man behind the story from an adult perspective would do wisely to read "Letter to a Hostage" and "Letter to a General". I would also recommend both texts to people interested in philosophical musings on the human condition written in the shadow of World War 2.
The very incident that inspired "The Little Prince", where his plane crashed in the North African desert, is referenced in detail. The thoughts about humanity's place in the universe he made while marooned in the desert, which he wrote "The Little Prince" to express in a fantastical allegorical form, appear here as well in a more dry and academic fashion.
There are also plenty of picturesque descriptions of Brittany, Portugal and Spain to be found in here, as well as the author's thoughts on such fantastic subject matter as leylines. (I find that endearing, other readers might find it cringeworthy) One of my favourite chapters revolves not around WW2 proper as much as the European theatre's dress rehearsal namely the Spanish Civil War. During that conflict, Saint-Exupery himself was taken prisoner by Catalan anarchist guerrilla fighters whom he got along with much better than expected. Indeed, Saint-Exupery comes across here as a man with faith in the human spirit but not so much faith in utopian modern ideologies like anarchism, fascism, Leninism and so on.
This impression of Saint-Exupery as a man disenchanted with 20th century civilisation, but not humanity overall, is reinforced by another short text included in the edition I read: "Letter to a General". The General whom the letter is directed to is NOT Philippe Pétain as the reader might expect, but instead one of his superiors on the Allied side. In that letter Saint-Exupery laments the dehumanising and industrialised nature of modern warfare, where the sense of chivalric honour that at least existed in pre-modern warfare becomes rarer and rarer.
People who read "The Little Prince" as children and would like to know more about the man behind the story from an adult perspective would do wisely to read "Letter to a Hostage" and "Letter to a General". I would also recommend both texts to people interested in philosophical musings on the human condition written in the shadow of World War 2.
December 25, 2018
Đọc không thích bằng mấy cuốn khác của Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, bản dịch cũng rườm rà quá, không có cảm giác trong sáng, nên thơ như những cuốn trước. Và giá bìa quá mắc :)). 65k cho sách 78 trang luôn bìa 😑😑
February 5, 2011
I found many striking similarities to the general situation in Lebanon, and loved the descriptions!
January 9, 2020
Ενα υπέροχο συντομο γραμμα. Ενας υμνος στην φιλία. Είναι επικαιρο θα έλεγα. Το προτείνω ανεπιφύλακτα.
May 12, 2020
Sin palabras...
Una carta que me llegó al alma.
Una carta que me llegó al alma.
May 12, 2025
Saint-Exupéry, toujours un régal : il se passe rien mais c'est tellement bien écrit
January 2, 2023
I can't tell if this is fictitious or not, but it does reference a pilot who also appeared in Flight to Arras.
April 26, 2025
Gorgeous writing, lost me a bit with the history but that's on me king
August 8, 2022
Me ha parecido una historia de mucho simbolismo y un tanto utópica, con una prosa bastante filosófica, donde se van expresando sentimientos y comparándolos según el entorno donde se desarrolla, en este caso con un país en conflicto bélico o sin él y demostrando a través de reflexiones que un hombre es el que es, y así debe respetarse, esté donde esté, sea cual sea su credo, venga de donde venga y que sólo son las circunstancias las que lo hacen ver como aliado o enemigo
También nos habla del efecto de regalar una sonrisa, de hablar y ser escuchados y de compartir así sea con otros los recuerdos o un simple cigarrillo más allá de ideologías
Me ha costado mucho leer este libro a pesar de sus apenas treinta páginas y pienso que se me han quedado muchas ideas por el camino
También nos habla del efecto de regalar una sonrisa, de hablar y ser escuchados y de compartir así sea con otros los recuerdos o un simple cigarrillo más allá de ideologías
Me ha costado mucho leer este libro a pesar de sus apenas treinta páginas y pienso que se me han quedado muchas ideas por el camino
July 4, 2015
Το γράμμα σ' έναν όμηρο, είναι στην πραγματικότητα ένα γράμμα που γράφει ο ίδιος ο Εξυπερύ (συγγραφέας του Μικρού Πρίγκιπα) προς τους υπόδουλους Γάλλους, στη διάρκεια του β' παγκοσμίου πολέμου.
Επίκαιρο όσο ποτέ το έργο που θεωρείται ως ύμνος στη φιλία, καθώς εκφράζει την αγωνία εκείνων που έφυγαν πρόσφυγες στην Αμερική όταν η χώρα τους κατακτήθηκε από τους ναζιστές.
Ξεχωρίζει η φράση... μαχόμαστε τους ναζί, γιατί εκείνοι σέβονται (ως ανθρώπους) μόνο τους όμοιούς τους.
Επίκαιρο όσο ποτέ το έργο που θεωρείται ως ύμνος στη φιλία, καθώς εκφράζει την αγωνία εκείνων που έφυγαν πρόσφυγες στην Αμερική όταν η χώρα τους κατακτήθηκε από τους ναζιστές.
Ξεχωρίζει η φράση... μαχόμαστε τους ναζί, γιατί εκείνοι σέβονται (ως ανθρώπους) μόνο τους όμοιούς τους.
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January 29, 2017يبدو أن هذا الكتاب لم يترجم ككتاب منشور في العربية، وإنما وجدته مقالًا ورد في مجلة "نزوى". قرأت الأصل بالفرنسية، ولأن لغة اكزوبيري شعريّة جدا استعنت بالترجمة العربية كذلك. أفكاره لطيفة، إنسانية وعميقة كما هو اكزوبيري دائما.
هنا المقال بالعربية:
http://www.nizwa.com/رسالة-الى-رهينة/
هنا المقال بالعربية:
http://www.nizwa.com/رسالة-الى-رهينة/
July 31, 2017
Για όλους τους φίλους μου που θέλουν να φύγουν έξω:
"Θέλω να είμαι ταξιδιώτης. Όχι πρόσφυγας."
"Θέλω να είμαι ταξιδιώτης. Όχι πρόσφυγας."
May 15, 2022
D'une sagesse infinie, je recommande vivement.
March 7, 2021
سنت اگزوپری مدتهاست برای من در دسته آن نگاه های ناب و متفاوت به هستی قرار گرفته. این است که به ندرت نوشته هایش را دوست نداشته باشم. حتی اگر به عنوان داستان بخوانم شان و داستان نباشند.
نامه به یک گروگان هم از همین قبیل است و باز هم نگاه خاص اگزوپری از هر سطرش پیداست. اما چیزی که منحصر به این کتاب بود نکوهش مهاجرانی است که کشورهایشان را در حالی که با آتش جنگ می سوزد ترک میکنند؛ و یا کشورهایی که در سایه امن نقشه دور از جنگ ادای خوشی را در می آورند. دسته اول به عنوان یک شهروند. و گروه دوم را به عنوان یک انسان. اگزوپری در مورد هر کدام آنها تعابیر جالب و نابی دارد.
ضرورت دفاع از انسان و انسانیت جوهره این کتاب است.
حتی انسانی که هم زبان ما نیست ولی انسان است.
به قول اگزوپری:
«ما به سادگی برای نجات یک نوع کیفیت لبخند مبارزه میکردیم، برای لبخند تو»
«ما فراتر از زبانها، طبقات، احزاب و گروه ها در یک لبخند به هم می پیوندیم»
اگر دیگر کتاب های اگزوپری هر کدام نمودار گوشه ای از نگاه شاعرانه و متعالی او به بخشی از زندگی باشند. نامه به یک گروگان این کتاب مختصر و جمع و جور مانیفست کوتاه ولی عمیقی است از سرمنشاء و علت این نگاه ستودنی و دوست داشتنی و به شدت انسانی.
پ ن: کاش کتابسازان به خصوص مترجم ها بدونند که امکانی وجود داره به عنوان "کتاب بدون مقدمه" و این بزرگواران مجبور نیستن حتما و به هر ضرب و زوری شده یه چیزی سرهم کنن بچسبونن اول کتاب که بعله اینم مقدمه و ما هم بلدیم و این حرفا.
نامه به یک گروگان هم از همین قبیل است و باز هم نگاه خاص اگزوپری از هر سطرش پیداست. اما چیزی که منحصر به این کتاب بود نکوهش مهاجرانی است که کشورهایشان را در حالی که با آتش جنگ می سوزد ترک میکنند؛ و یا کشورهایی که در سایه امن نقشه دور از جنگ ادای خوشی را در می آورند. دسته اول به عنوان یک شهروند. و گروه دوم را به عنوان یک انسان. اگزوپری در مورد هر کدام آنها تعابیر جالب و نابی دارد.
ضرورت دفاع از انسان و انسانیت جوهره این کتاب است.
حتی انسانی که هم زبان ما نیست ولی انسان است.
به قول اگزوپری:
«ما به سادگی برای نجات یک نوع کیفیت لبخند مبارزه میکردیم، برای لبخند تو»
«ما فراتر از زبانها، طبقات، احزاب و گروه ها در یک لبخند به هم می پیوندیم»
اگر دیگر کتاب های اگزوپری هر کدام نمودار گوشه ای از نگاه شاعرانه و متعالی او به بخشی از زندگی باشند. نامه به یک گروگان این کتاب مختصر و جمع و جور مانیفست کوتاه ولی عمیقی است از سرمنشاء و علت این نگاه ستودنی و دوست داشتنی و به شدت انسانی.
پ ن: کاش کتابسازان به خصوص مترجم ها بدونند که امکانی وجود داره به عنوان "کتاب بدون مقدمه" و این بزرگواران مجبور نیستن حتما و به هر ضرب و زوری شده یه چیزی سرهم کنن بچسبونن اول کتاب که بعله اینم مقدمه و ما هم بلدیم و این حرفا.
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