This narrative is largely autobiographical, as it tells about the life of the great writer as a pioneering pilot. The book is dedicated to the best friend Exupery - Henri Guillaume.

The profession of a pilot is very responsible, it is in many ways similar to the work of a peasant who invades nature in order to take possession of some of its secrets. The pilot rises into the skies and thereby violates the laws of nature, forcing her to reveal many of her secrets.

The first flight carried out by the writer took place over Argentina, a little later the young pilot was taken to the Toulouse-Dakar airlines, where, starting from 1926, he served as a deliverer of African and Spanish mail.

The work of the pilot was very dangerous, but incomparable to anything, none of Antoine's comrades ever regretted that he became the ruler of the sky. The boring, monotonous life of clerical workers was not for these lively people, ready for adventure. The pilots were taken to the airfield by an old collapsing bus, the journey was short, but symbolic, some of the travelers might never return home.

The young Exupery sincerely admired the experience and vitality of his comrades, among whom the most prominent was a certain Mermoza, known as the co-founder of French airlines on the Casablanca-Dakar route. In addition, it was Mermoza who was the first to transport mail to South America.

For a long time, fate kept a brave pilot who never missed an opportunity to become a pioneer of new lands that were not yet accessible for flight, but one day, somewhere over the South Atlantic, the engine of his plane stopped working, and the radio station was silent forever. The search for the pilot did not bring results, but this was not always the case, for example, Guillaume, who disappeared during a flight in the Andes region, got out to civilization after 5 days, having managed to survive despite snow storms, wild animals and avalanches.

The life of a pilot is magical, the plane allows this person to see what others have never seen before and after him, to look at the Universe and history in a new way. One day, Exupery landed on an ordinary uncultivated field, after which he was invited to his owner's house, where he met two charming native girls. These creatures were truly beautiful, but only as long as they remained unmarried and free.

Unfortunately, it was simply impossible to see such beauty in the desert, over which Exupery increasingly flew. The desert is deserted and dangerous not only because natural features, but also because of the flooding of it by the rebels, who killed everyone indiscriminately. The first failure of the plane, which was controlled by the author, occurred precisely over the desert. The car was landed near a small fort guarded by just one old sergeant, who could not hold back tears at the sight of a human face. The Sahara is boundless, and it is not at all easy to meet a European in its expanses.

The Arabs, who roamed the desert, attacked the French settlements more than once, at the same time, admiring the French themselves. Those of the Arabs who visited France even changed their faith, forever forgetting their own gods. Such changes occurred largely because the ignorant savages believed that their land was so waterless because of the wrath of the gods, but seeing how abundant rainfall in France, they decided that the God of the French was more generous and, therefore, he needed to be obeyed.

The rain in the Sahara is so a rare thing that at the first appearance of its signs, entire tribes are removed from their homes and, together with acquired belongings and cattle, migrate to a new dwelling, closer to life-giving moisture. But oddly enough, people living in such harsh conditions have not lost a drop of their inherent humanity.

Once, the author of this book redeemed a native from slavery - a decrepit old man, exhausted by overwork. The same, instead of spending the money received for the first time for his own needs, bought food and began to treat the poor children with it. Such were these amazing inhabitants of the desert.

In 1935, one thing happened in the life of Exupery unpleasant event, his plane crashed in the sands of Lebanon and the pilots were forced to travel hundreds of miles before finding help. For three days the poor fellow wandered in search of food and water, and in despair they were already preparing to say goodbye to life, but they met a compassionate Bedouin who shared his own water with them.

Traveling and long-distance flights could not help but make the author an experienced ace, who at the beginning of World War II was immediately drafted into the army. During the war years, Exupery had a chance to see a lot, but a special trace in his fate was left by an episode of a meeting with Polish settlers expelled from France and returning to their homeland.

Watching these thin and tired people, the writer sadly reflected on the fact that each of them, if he had a chance, could become someone great, maybe the war kills another Mozart, who will never write his melodies, as he will dream just a piece of bread.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Planet of Humans"

The book is written in the first person. Exupery dedicated it to one of his fellow pilots, Henri Guillaume.

Man reveals himself in the struggle with obstacles. The pilot is like a farmer who tills the land and in so doing wrests some of nature's secrets from nature. The work of the pilot is just as fruitful. The first flight over Argentina was unforgettable: the lights flickered below, and each of them spoke about the miracle of human consciousness - about dreams, hopes, love.

Exupery began working on the Toulouse-Dakar line in 1926. Experienced pilots were somewhat aloof, but in their jerky stories arose fairy world mountain ranges with traps, dips and whirlwinds. The "oldies" skillfully maintained admiration, which only increased when one of them did not return from the flight. And then came the turn of Exupery: at night he went to the airfield in an old bus and, like many of his comrades, felt how a ruler was born in him - a man responsible for Spanish and African mail. The officials sitting nearby talked about illnesses, money, petty household chores - these people voluntarily imprisoned themselves in the prison of petty-bourgeois prosperity, and a musician, poet or astronomer will never wake up in their hardened souls. Another thing is the pilot, who will have to enter into an argument with a thunderstorm, mountains and the ocean - no one regretted his choice, although for many this bus became the last earthly shelter.

Of his comrades, Exupery singles out, first of all, Mermoz - one of the founders of the French airline Casablanca - Dakar and the discoverer of the South American line. Mermoz "led reconnaissance" for others and, having mastered the Andes, transferred this area to Guillaume, and he himself took up the domestication of the night. He conquered the sands, mountains and sea, which, in turn, swallowed him more than once - but he always got out of captivity. And now, after twelve years of work, during the next flight through South Atlantic, he briefly announced that he was turning off the right rear motor. All radio stations from Paris to Buenos Aires were on a dreary watch, but there was no more news from Mermoz. After resting at the bottom of the ocean, he completed his life's work.

Nobody will replace the dead. And pilots experience the greatest happiness when the one who has already been mentally buried is suddenly resurrected. This happened to Guillaume, who disappeared during a voyage over the Andes. For five days, his comrades unsuccessfully searched for him, and there was no longer any doubt that he had died - either in a fall or from the cold. But Guillaume performed the miracle of his own salvation by passing through the snow and ice. He said later that he endured what no animal could endure - there is nothing nobler than these words, showing the measure of man's greatness, determining his true place in nature.

The pilot thinks in terms of the universe and rereads history in a new way. Civilization is just fragile gilding. People forget that under their feet there is no deep layer of earth. An insignificant pond, surrounded by houses and trees, is subject to the action of the ebb and flow. Under thin layer amazing transformations take place in grass and flowers - only thanks to the plane they can sometimes be seen. Another magical property of an airplane is that it takes the pilot to the heart of the miraculous. With Exupery it happened in Argentina. He landed in some field, not suspecting that he would end up in a fairy house and meet two young fairies who were friends with wild herbs and snakes. These savage princesses lived in harmony with the universe. What happened to them? Transition from girlhood to fortune married woman fraught with fatal mistakes - perhaps some fool has already taken the princess into slavery.

In the desert, such meetings are impossible - here the pilots become prisoners of the sands. The presence of the rebels made the Sahara even more hostile. Exupery knew the burden of the desert from the very first flight; when his plane crashed near a small fort in West Africa, the old sergeant received the pilots as messengers from the sky - he cried when he heard their voices.

But in the same way, the recalcitrant Arabs of the desert were shocked when they visited France unfamiliar to them. If rain suddenly falls in the Sahara, a great migration begins - whole tribes go three hundred leagues in search of grass. And in Savoy, precious moisture gushed, as if from a leaky cistern. And the old leaders said later that the French god is much more generous to the French than the god of the Arabs to the Arabs. Many barbarians have wavered in their faith and almost succumbed to outsiders, but among them there are still those who suddenly rebel to regain their former greatness - a fallen warrior turned shepherd cannot forget how his heart beat at the night fire. Exupery recalls a conversation with one of these nomads - this man did not defend freedom (everyone is free in the desert) and not wealth (there are none in the desert), but his hidden world. The Arabs themselves were admired by the French captain Bonnafus, who made bold raids on nomad camps. His existence graced the sands, for there is no greater joy than the slaying of such a glorious enemy. When Bonnafus left for France, the desert seemed to have lost one of its poles. But the Arabs continued to believe that he would return for the lost sense of valor - if this happened, the recalcitrant tribes would receive the message on the first night. Then the warriors silently lead the camels to the well, prepare a supply of barley and check the gates, and then set out on a campaign, driven by a strange feeling of hatred-love.

Even a slave can gain a sense of dignity if he has not lost his memory. The Arabs called all slaves the name Bark, but one of them remembered that his name was Mohammed and he was a cattle driver in Marrakesh. In the end, Exupery managed to buy him out. At first, Bark did not know what to do with his newfound freedom. The old negro was awakened by the smile of a child - he felt his importance on earth, having spent almost all the money on gifts for children. His guide thought he was crazy with joy. And he was simply possessed by the need to become a man among people.

Now there are no more recalcitrant tribes. The sands have lost their secret. But the experience will never be forgotten. Once Exupery managed to approach the very heart of the desert - this happened in 1935, when his plane crashed into the ground near the borders of Libya. Together with the mechanic Prevost, he spent three endless days among the sands. Sahara almost killed them: they suffered from thirst and loneliness, their minds were exhausted under the weight of mirages. The almost half-dead pilot told himself that he did not regret anything: he got the best share, because he left the city with its bookkeepers and returned to peasant truth. It was not the dangers that attracted him - he loved and loves life.

The pilots were saved by a Bedouin, who seemed to them an almighty deity. But the truth is difficult to understand, even when you come into contact with it. In a moment of supreme despair, a person finds peace of mind - probably Bonnafus and Guillaumet knew him. Anyone can wake up from mental hibernation - for this you need a case, favorable soil or an imperious command of religion. On the Madrid front, Exupery met a sergeant who was once a small accountant in Barcelona - time called him, and he joined the army, feeling his calling in this. There is truth in the hatred of war, but don't be quick to judge those who fight, for the truth of a man is what makes him a man. In a world that has become a desert, a person longs to find comrades - those with whom he is connected by a common goal. You can become happy only by realizing your own, albeit modest, role. In third-class carriages, Exupery had a chance to see Polish workers being evicted from France. A whole nation was returning to their sorrows and poverty. These people were like ugly clods of clay - so compressed their life. But the face of the sleeping child was beautiful: he looked like a fairy-tale prince, like a baby Mozart, doomed to follow his parents through the same forging press. These people did not suffer at all: Exupery suffered for them, realizing that Mozart might have been killed in everyone. Only the Spirit turns clay into man.

The narration in the novel "The Planet of the People" is conducted in the first person, Exupery talks about his fellow pilots, about their flights and research. This novel is dedicated to Henri Guillaume. When Exupery began to work as a pilot, experienced pilots kept to themselves, not letting anyone into their world, into the world of mountain ranges with dips, whirlwinds and traps. Beginners bowed to experienced pilots, and they skillfully supported this worship, it increased greatly when one of the "old men" did not return from the flight.

Exupery singled out his comrade Mermosa, who was one of the founders of the French airline Dakar - Casablanca and the discoverer of the South American line.

When Mermoz mastered the Andes, he handed them over to Guillaume, and he himself took up the development of flights at night. He was always the first, as if he was a scout for the rest. Mermoz conquered the sands, the sea and the mountains, they swallowed him up, but he always got out of their captivity. After working twelve fruitful years, once during a voyage across the South Atlantic, Mermoz briefly announced on the radio that the rear engine was turned off. All the radio stations hearing this message drearily waited for at least some kind of signal from him, but it did not follow. So Mermoz rested at the bottom of the ocean, completing his life's work.

No one will ever replace dead comrades. And pilots experience great happiness when a comrade already mentally buried by them is resurrected. That is exactly what happened with Guillaume. He went missing on a flight over the Andes. Comrades tirelessly searched for him for five days, but all to no avail. Everyone believed already in his death, either from a fall or from the cold. But Guillaume survived by walking through the snow and ice. Later, he said that he endured what no animal could endure. With these words, he showed the noble greatness of man, these words determined the real place of man in nature.

In Argentina, Exupery landed on some field and did not suspect that he would meet two little fairies there who were friends with herbs and snakes. Girls lived in peace with the entire universe. But in the desert, such meetings are impossible. In the desert, pilots have always become prisoners of the sands. Exupery learned about the hardships of the desert already on his first flight, his plane crashed near a small fort in West Africa. There the old sergeant mistook them for the messengers of the Lord, he wept when he heard their voices.

Like the old sergeant, the desert Arabs were shocked when they visited France. After all, if it rains in the Sahara, then the tribes move in search of grass, sometimes leaving up to 300 leagues from their former place of residence. And in Savoy, moisture so precious to the Arabs, whipped, as if from a pipe. Subsequently, the leaders said that the French god is very generous to the French than their Arab god to the Arabs.

On the Madrid front, Exupery met a sergeant who had served as an accountant before the war, but the war called him, and he accepted service in it as his destiny. And there is no need to rush to condemn those who go into battle, since the truth of a person is what makes him a person. And whatever the world is, a person is always looking for comrades, people with whom he is connected by a common cause and goal. And happiness can be found when you realize your role in this world, no matter how tiny it is.

The book is written in the first person. Exupery dedicated it to one of his fellow pilots, Henri Guillaume.

Man reveals himself in the struggle with obstacles. The pilot is like a farmer who tills the land and in so doing wrests some of nature's secrets from nature. The work of the pilot is just as fruitful. The first flight over Argentina was unforgettable: the lights flickered below, and each of them spoke about the miracle of human consciousness - about dreams, hopes, love.

Exupery began working on the Toulouse-Dakar line in 1926. Experienced pilots were somewhat aloof, but in their abrupt stories a fairy-tale world of mountain ranges with traps, dips and whirlwinds arose. The "oldies" skillfully maintained admiration, which only increased when one of them did not return from the flight. And then the turn of Exupery came: at night he went to the airfield in an old bus and, like many of his comrades, felt how a ruler was born in him - a man responsible for Spanish and African mail. The officials sitting nearby talked about illnesses, money, petty household chores - these people voluntarily imprisoned themselves in the prison of petty-bourgeois well-being, and a musician, poet or astronomer will never wake up in their hardened souls. Another thing is the pilot, who will have to enter into an argument with a thunderstorm, mountains and the ocean - no one regretted his choice, although for many this bus became the last earthly shelter.

Of his comrades, Exupery singles out, first of all, Mermoz - one of the founders of the French airline Casablanca - Dakar and the discoverer of the South American line. Mermoz "led reconnaissance" for others and, having mastered the Andes, handed over this site to Guillaume, and he himself took up the domestication of the night. He conquered the sands, mountains and sea, which, in turn, swallowed him more than once - but he always got out of captivity. And now, after twelve years of work, during the next voyage across the South Atlantic, he briefly announced that he was turning off the right rear engine. All radio stations from Paris to Buenos Aires were on a dreary watch, but there was no more news from Mermoz. After resting at the bottom of the ocean, he completed his life's work.

Nobody will replace the dead. And pilots experience the greatest happiness when the one who has already been mentally buried is suddenly resurrected. This happened to Guillaume, who disappeared during a voyage over the Andes. For five days, his comrades unsuccessfully searched for him, and there was no longer any doubt that he had died - either in a fall or from the cold. But Guillaume performed the miracle of his own salvation by passing through the snow and ice. He said later that he endured what no animal could endure - there is nothing nobler than these words, showing the measure of the greatness of man, determining his true place in nature.

The pilot thinks in terms of the universe and rereads history in a new way. Civilization is just fragile gilding. People forget that under their feet there is no deep layer of earth. An insignificant pond, surrounded by houses and trees, is subject to the action of the ebb and flow. Under a thin layer of grass and flowers, amazing transformations take place - only thanks to the plane they can sometimes be seen. Another magical property of an airplane is that it takes the pilot to the heart of the miraculous. With Exupery it happened in Argentina. He landed in some field, not suspecting that he would end up in a fairy house and meet two young fairies who were friends with wild herbs and snakes. These savage princesses lived in harmony with the universe. What happened to them? The transition from girlhood to the state of a married woman is fraught with fatal mistakes - perhaps some fool has already taken the princess into slavery.

In the desert, such meetings are impossible - here the pilots become prisoners of the sands. The presence of the rebels made the Sahara even more hostile. Exupery knew the burden of the desert from the very first flight; when his plane crashed near a small fort in West Africa, the old sergeant received the pilots as messengers from heaven - he wept when he heard their voices.

But in the same way, the recalcitrant Arabs of the desert were shocked when they visited France unfamiliar to them. If rain suddenly falls in the Sahara, a great migration begins - whole tribes go three hundred leagues in search of grass. And in Savoy, precious moisture gushed, as if from a leaky cistern. And the old leaders said later that the French god is much more generous to the French than the god of the Arabs to the Arabs. Many barbarians have wavered in their faith and almost submitted to strangers, but among them there are still those who suddenly rebel to regain their former greatness - a fallen warrior who has become a shepherd cannot forget how his heart beat at the night fire. Exupery recalls a conversation with one of these nomads - this man did not defend freedom (everyone is free in the desert) and not wealth (there are none in the desert), but his hidden world. The Arabs themselves were admired by the French captain Bonnafus, who made bold raids on nomad camps. His existence graced the sands, for there is no greater joy than the slaying of such a glorious enemy. When Bonnafus left for France, the desert seemed to have lost one of its poles. But the Arabs continued to believe that he would return for his lost sense of valor - if this happened, the recalcitrant tribes would receive news on the first night. Then the warriors silently lead the camels to the well, prepare a supply of barley and check the gates, and then set out on a campaign, driven by a strange feeling of hatred-love.

Even a slave can gain a sense of dignity if he has not lost his memory. The Arabs called all slaves the name Bark, but one of them remembered that his name was Mohammed and he was a cattle driver in Marrakesh. In the end, Exupery managed to buy him back. At first, Bark didn't know what to do with his newfound freedom. The old negro was awakened by the smile of a child - he felt his importance on earth, having spent almost all the money on gifts for children. His guide thought he was crazy with joy. And he was simply possessed by the need to become a man among people.

Now there are no more recalcitrant tribes. The sands have lost their secret. But the experience will never be forgotten. Once Exupery managed to approach the very heart of the desert - this happened about 1935, when his plane crashed into the ground near the borders of Libya. Together with the mechanic Prevost, he spent three endless days among the sands. Sahara almost killed them: they suffered from thirst and loneliness, their minds were exhausted under the weight of mirages. The almost half-dead pilot told himself that he did not regret anything: he got the best share, for he left the city with its bookkeepers and returned to the peasant truth. It was not danger that attracted him - he loved and loves life.

The pilots were saved by a Bedouin, who seemed to them an almighty deity. But the truth is difficult to understand, even when you come into contact with it. At the moment of supreme despair, a person finds peace of mind - probably, Bonnafus and Guillaume knew him. Anyone can wake up from mental hibernation - for this you need a case, favorable soil or an imperious command of religion. On the Madrid front, Exupery met a sergeant who was once a small accountant in Barcelona - time called him, and he joined the army, feeling his calling in this. There is truth in the hatred of war, but do not be quick to judge those who fight, for the truth of a man is what makes him a man. In a world that has become a desert, a person longs to find comrades - those with whom he is connected by a common goal. You can become happy only by realizing your own, albeit modest, role. In third-class carriages, Exupery had a chance to see Polish workers being evicted from France. A whole nation was returning to their sorrows and poverty. These people were like ugly clods of clay - so compressed their life. But the face of the sleeping child was beautiful: he looked like a fairy-tale prince, like a baby Mozart, doomed to follow his parents through the same forging press. These people did not suffer at all: Exupery suffered for them, realizing that Mozart might have been killed in everyone. Only the Spirit turns clay into man.

What is remembered by readers of the collection of essays "Planet of People", summary which will be considered by us in this article?

First of all, the fact that this work is devoted to such important issues for every person as the meaning of life on earth, a sense of honor and duty, the meaning of love, understanding one's destiny.

The work saw the light in the distant but disturbing year 1939 (recall that this date is tragic for the French, it was in 1939 that the Second World War, in which France for several years was under the yoke of Nazi Germany).

Let's briefly review the main storylines this collection of essays, as well as its ideological concept.

The story of one pilot

As we all know, the profession of a pilot appeared at the beginning of the last century. In all countries where aircraft began to appear, it was unusually popular. Courageous and brave young men dreamed of soaring into the sky on their iron birds in order to make discoveries, overcoming obstacles.

So was the author of a collection of essays, which tells about his travels by plane. The book "Planet of Humans" tells us in general a very a simple story about how the pilot, who is also a storyteller, does his job every day - transporting mail from Spain to Africa and back.

The collection of essays is autobiographical in nature, while it can hardly be called an adventure work, rather, we have before us philosophical reflections, clothed in the form artwork. Moreover, the author often leaves the external outline of his narrative, paying more attention to the internal reflections of his characters (this technique was generally more characteristic of French literature of that time, Marcel Proust called it the use of a “stream of consciousness” to characterize the emotional experiences of his characters).

However, let us return to the very collection of essays by Exupery "The Planet of the People" (a summary of the chapters of this work will be presented by us below).

The storyline of the essay collection

So, we decided that in the collection of essays the author tells about the fate of the pilot, who, like a peasant, interferes with the laws of nature. But if the farmer conquers the soil and makes it yield a crop, then the lord of heaven tries to overcome space, like birds soaring into the sky.

However, the work of a pilot is very dangerous. Exupery, with sad irony, tells about the adventures that awaited the protagonist both in heaven and on earth. First of all, it concerned aircraft breakdowns, which were inevitable. Such breakdowns often happened in the desert, where there was not a single living soul. The main character himself more than once had to get into situations from which he could not get out alive.

Man's struggle with nature, with himself, with external circumstances - this is the central idea of ​​this work.

The fate of comrades

Getting into an airline that is engaged in rather dangerous postal transportation, the protagonist talks about the fate of his comrades. The summary of the “Planet of People” is just the history of each person that the pilot had to meet.

For example, a collection of essays tells of a brave man named Mermoza. He founded a new route between Europe and Africa, and he had to fly over the Sahara desert, which was a great danger.

However, Mermoza showed miracles of fearlessness. He encouraged others by his example. He offered to fly over the desert at night, because the hot sand did not allow this to be done during the day. But one day his radio station went silent forever, most likely, this brave man crashed over the ocean.

And there are many more such examples...

Way of Guillaume

Exupery's "Planet of the People" tells that Guillaume's plane is missing. They searched for him and waited for a long five days. The comrades decided that Guillaume died either during the landing, or unable to withstand heavy climatic conditions. However, exactly 5 days later the news came that the pilot was able to miraculously survive. He had to go through inhuman trials, but he overcame everything and returned in order to conquer the sky again.

calling and life

In Exupery's "Planet of Humans", quotes from which every French schoolboy knows, there are a lot of reflections on the role of man in the life of the Universe. On the one hand, the author points out that human civilization incomparably small before the grandeur of the natural world and infinity outer space. But on the other hand, the author himself claims that human civilization is like gilding that adorns our Universe. And although often people do not think about why they came to this world, but the world around them is full of secrets, mysteries and majestic inspiration.

History of a slave

Exupery tells a lot about what his readers, the heroes of the "Planet of People" always turn out to be either an example to follow or to be blamed.

The story of the slave whom the protagonist bought from the Arabs is interesting. He was in slavery for a very long time, but he remembered his real name, about his distant family, about the business he once did. When the slave received the long-awaited freedom, he behaved in an unusual way. I bought sweets and gifts and began to give them to the children. So he celebrated his release after many decades of captivity, so this man was able to maintain both his will and his dignity.

The book "Planet of Humans" reveals many more such stories to readers.

Doomed Mozarts

Continuing his reflections, the author turns to another picture, which he happened to see in one of the 3rd class carriages. It was carrying Polish workers who were evicted from France by order of the authorities. These uneducated people, exhausted by heavy physical labor, were similar to each other. To the author, they resembled clods of clay, which a heavy press turns into a kind of lifeless material. The author looked at these workers and thought that in every such person, perhaps, Mozart is hidden, whose talent was not realized because he fell into life circumstances that were completely incompatible with his gift.

"Planet of people" Exupery tells a lot of such life stories. In all of them - the fate of people who can either still fight for their right to remain human, or are ready to surrender to the mercy of fate.

History of water

Therefore, the rains were perceived by the natives as a real miracle of God. The author tells with a laugh that some of the indigenous inhabitants of Africa, who happened to be in France, were amazed not by the beauty of its cities, but by the abundance of water sources. Moreover, they were even ready to accept the faith of the French, having naively decided that the God of the French is stronger and more powerful if he gives people so much water.

The author compares the mentality of his compatriots with these seemingly wild peoples. The conclusion that he makes is not comforting for the French: the inhabitants of Africa seem to the main character to be much more reasonable. After all, they take great care of natural environment that surrounds them.

"Planet of people" Exupery: reviews of contemporaries

The writer's collection of essays proved to be in demand among his contemporaries. Between the two world wars Europe was shaken by contradictions. The old world order was collapsing before our eyes, a new one was born in the throes and blood of the Second World War.

New writers were needed, new literature, which would offer a clean and uncomplicated view of the events taking place in the country and in the world.

So fresh sip clean air and became a collection of essays "Planet of People", a summary of which we reviewed in this article.

It should be noted that even today this collection of essays attracts readers with its simplicity and deep meaning.

The book is written in the first person. Exupery dedicated it to one of his fellow pilots, Henri Guillaume.

Man reveals himself in the struggle with obstacles. The pilot is like a farmer who tills the land and in so doing wrests some of nature's secrets from nature. The work of the pilot is just as fruitful. The first flight over Argentina was unforgettable: the lights flickered below, and each of them spoke about the miracle of human consciousness - about dreams, hopes, love.

Exupery began working on the Toulouse-Dakar line in 1926. Experienced pilots were somewhat aloof, but in their abrupt stories a fairy-tale world of mountain ranges with traps, dips and whirlwinds arose. The "oldies" skillfully maintained admiration, which only increased when one of them did not return from the flight. And then the turn of Exupery came: at night he went to the airfield in an old bus and, like many of his comrades, felt how a ruler was born in him - a man responsible for Spanish and African mail. The officials sitting nearby talked about illnesses, money, petty household chores - these people voluntarily imprisoned themselves in the prison of petty-bourgeois well-being, and a musician, poet or astronomer will never wake up in their hardened souls. Another thing is the pilot, who will have to enter into an argument with a thunderstorm, mountains and the ocean - no one regretted his choice, although for many this bus became the last earthly shelter.

Of his comrades, Exupery singles out, first of all, Mermoz - one of the founders of the French airline Casablanca - Dakar and the discoverer of the South American line. Mermoz "led reconnaissance" for others and, having mastered the Andes, handed over this site to Guillaume, and he himself took up the domestication of the night. He conquered the sands, mountains and sea, which, in turn, swallowed him more than once - but he always got out of captivity. And now, after twelve years of work, during the next voyage across the South Atlantic, he briefly announced that he was turning off the right rear engine. All radio stations from Paris to Buenos Aires were on a dreary watch, but there was no more news from Mermoz. After resting at the bottom of the ocean, he completed his life's work.

Nobody will replace the dead. And pilots experience the greatest happiness when the one who has already been mentally buried is suddenly resurrected. This happened to Guillaume, who disappeared during a voyage over the Andes. For five days, his comrades unsuccessfully searched for him, and there was no longer any doubt that he had died - either in a fall or from the cold. But Guillaume performed the miracle of his own salvation by passing through the snow and ice. He said later that he endured what no animal could endure - there is nothing nobler than these words, showing the measure of the greatness of man, determining his true place in nature.

The pilot thinks in terms of the universe and rereads history in a new way. Civilization is just fragile gilding. People forget that under their feet there is no deep layer of earth. An insignificant pond, surrounded by houses and trees, is subject to the action of the ebb and flow. Under a thin layer of grass and flowers, amazing transformations take place - only thanks to the plane they can sometimes be seen.