安托万·德·圣埃克苏佩里（Antoine de Saint-Exupery, 1900-1944）1900年6月29日出生在法国里昂。他曾经有志于报考海军学院，未能如愿，却有幸成了空军的一员。1923年退役后，先后从事过各种不同的职业。

1926年，圣埃克苏佩里进入拉泰科埃尔航空公司。在此期间，出版小说《南方邮件》（1929）、《夜航》（1931），从此他在文学上声誉鹊起。1939年，又一部作品《人的大地》问世。

第二次世界大战期间他重入法国空军。后辗转去纽约开始流亡生活。在这期间，写出《空军飞行员》、《给一个人质的信》、《小王子》（1943）等作品。1944年返回同盟国地中海空军部队。在当年7月31日的一次飞行任务中，他驾驶飞机飞上湛蓝的天空，就此再也没有回来。

'All grown-ups were once children - although few of them remember it'. A pilot forced to crash land in the Sahara desert encounters a little prince who is visiting the earth from his own small planet with its three volcanoes and a beautiful flower. Through this meeting, the aviator comes to discover many of life's universal truths which illuminate the human condition with all its foibles, cunning and eccentricities. This wonderful and remarkable book will enchant both children and adults alike. It is a strange and wonderful parable for all ages, championing the beauty and wisdom of childhood which fades when one becomes 'a grown up'. Antoine De Saint-Exupery's book has been translated into over 180 languages and sold over 80 million copies. Its magic is in its charm, its simplicity and its truths which speak to people of many nations and generations.