Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "The Planet of Men": a summary

In Antoine de Saint-Exupery there were two real passions in life: literature and the sky. The pilot and writer, he created a novel, almost became his autobiography, and called it "Planet of People." The brief content of this work will be the main topic of our article.

Eternal sky

Since childhood, Exupery was obsessed with the sky, he could watch it for hours. For this feature, the boy received the nickname Lunatic, which was awarded to his peers.

For the first time Antoine managed to be in the sky at 12 years old on an ordinary civilian plane. And only in nine years the flight was repeated, when de Saint-Exupery himself became a military pilot. It is those events and feelings that the writer experienced at the helm of the combat vehicle, formed the basis of the novel "The Planet of Men." The brief content of the work allows a new look at the personality of the author himself, his strength of spirit and ability to fight to the last.

About the book

This work is the most autobiographical of all that created de Saint-Exupery. "The Planet of People" (a brief review below) - a novel written on behalf of a military pilot. The plot of the work is remarkable, which develops like a puzzle piece from fragments of reflections, memories, remarkable stories. Talking about the events that happened to him, the main character in parallel talks about the duty, religion, responsibility, the place of a person in life.

For the narrator, as for the author, the universe is divided into two worlds: heaven and earth. Two different and at the same time inextricably interconnected spaces form a single Planet of people, the inhabitants of which we are all.

Planet of People: a summary

The writer devotes a book to his colleague - a pilot named Henri Guillaume.

The novel begins with arguments that a person can reveal himself only in the struggle. Pilots are compared with peasants who, cultivating the earth, will recognize the innermost secrets of nature. Similarly, pilots, furrowing the sky, open up new secrets of our planet.

The narrator remembers his first flight over Argentina. A lot of lights flashed downstairs, each of which spoke of human lives, their dreams and hopes.

First job

From the first lines it becomes clear that the prototype of the main character is Exupery himself. The "Planet of People" (a brief summary of this perfectly illustrates) describes the life of a pilot who, just like the author, began his career as a pilot from work for the airline. Here he was supposed to deliver mail.

Professionals shunned the newcomers, holding on coldly and detached, but sometimes they began to talk about flights. And despite the stinginess of colors and the poverty of the syllable, in their stories one could see the fabulous worlds of mountain ranges, where it was easy to fall into the trap of failures and whirlwinds. Before these "old men" all the young people bowed, and when one of the experienced did not return, reverence only intensified.

The summary of the "Planet of People" tells about the first real task of the pilot. The protagonist, in anticipation of the future, felt himself a ruler, a man who would be responsible for the delivery of mail. People next to him talked about their small worries, illnesses, money problems. And he felt, as they voluntarily concluded themselves in the cage of philistinism, they will never know the joys of real life. The pilot is alone with nature itself, he has to fight against thunder and winds, risk himself, that is, to feel all the joy of being human.

Pilot stories

The description of the life of the pilots in the novel "The Planet of People" continues. The summary now narrates about the good friend of the narrator - Mermoz. This man became the pioneer of the South American line and founded the airline "Casablanca - Dakar" in France.

Mermoza was a "scout", he opened new routes and explored unexplored places. He conquered the sea, the sands and mountains, which more than once tried to absorb him. But the pilot invariably got out of the trap of nature.

And then during the flight across the South Atlantic, Mermoza unexpectedly reported on the radio that the right engine of his plane was off. More news from him and did not arrive. The pilot completed his last flight on the ocean floor.

Not only sad stories in his work tells Saint-Exupery ("The Planet of Men"). The summary also tells about those pilots who managed to rise again after they were recognized as dead. This is the story of Guillaume, who passed through the snow and ice, struggled with the elements for five days and emerged victorious.

Aircraft

A pilot is allowed to see the scale of our world, to realize that human civilization is fragile and short-lived, in comparison with nature. This knowledge gives the person a plane. The machine opens up the deep processes of the Earth, gives knowledge about the tides, gives an idea of the amazing things that surround us every day. In these arguments, undoubtedly, the voice of Exupery himself is heard. "The Planet of People", a brief summary does not allow us to doubt this, - a kind of confession of the writer. Here the author directly and openly talks about his relationship to nature, humanity, the sky and, of course, flights.

The plane allowed Exupery to know this world. So, not far from Argentina, he somehow landed on an overgrown field. Our hero did not even suspect at that moment that he was facing a meeting with amazing girls, like fairies who lived in harmony with themselves and nature.

With sadness, the author reflects on their fate. Perhaps they have already made a fatal mistake, got married and ended up in eternal slavery, torn from nature and naturalness.

Desert

A significant place in his novel was given to the description of the desert de Saint-Exupery ("The Planet of Men"). The brief summary perfectly conveys the feelings experienced by the author himself, finding himself in sandy captivity. More than once the airplane suffers from Exupery knows perfectly well what it means to be alone in the Sahara.

The desert is dangerous not only by sandstorms and dehydration, but also by insurgents. To experience a similar thing fell on the writer's share on the very first voyage. Then his plane fell in West Africa, near a small fort, where the old sergeant lived out his life.

Arabs

Not only about the sky And the pilots argue the author in the novel "Planet of people." The summary of the chapters gives an excellent description of the inhabitants of the desert.

Many Arabs happened to visit France. Most of all the Bedouins were struck by the generosity of the local god who so abundantly sent his followers rain. For some it even became an occasion to doubt the truth of their own faith and the reason to submit to the French. But not everyone agreed with this state of affairs, there were also those who are ready to do anything to return their lost greatness to their people. Former soldiers, who became shepherds, could not forget about the battles won. The author once talked to such an Arab. He realized that the barbarian does not protect his wealth or freedom, but the world he created for himself.

Bedouins revered the French captain Bonnafus, who made constant raids on them. The Arabs believed that there is no greater joy than having the opportunity to kill such a valiant enemy in battle. When the captain left the Sahara, it seemed to be empty. However, the Arabs believe that he will return. Then their eternal confrontation will continue.

Much attention is paid to the author's description of the life of the Arabs, which is confirmed by a brief summary of the "Planet of People". The work tells about the customs and laws of these people. They had widespread slavery. All slaves were called the same - Bark. And only those who could earn the respect of the Arabs were given names.

Three days in the sands

In 1935, the author crashed near the borders of Libya. With him was his mechanic, Prevost. Together they wandered through the desert for three days and hardly survived. Exhausted by thirst, unbearable heat, imagination and mirages, the pilot, however, did not at all regret what kind of life he had chosen for himself. Even standing on the verge of death, Exupery (this story is completely autobiographical) was ready to pay even such a price for the fact that he had the opportunity to really live, to know our world and unravel, even a little, his secrets.

Saving the poor Bedouin. At first the pilot and the mechanic took this man for God.

Conclusion

All the stories told here were experienced by the author himself. For his bright, albeit not very long life, de Saint-Exupéry met many interesting personalities, visited the most amazing places and experienced what few people succeed. And all this the author has enclosed in the novel "the Planet of people". Very brief content of the writer's life - that's how you can title this work.