The French novelist and essayist Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944), a pioneer commercial pilot, more than any other writer can be regarded as the poet of flight.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was born in Lyons on June 29, 1900; he attended Jesuit schools in France and Switzerland. He was a poor and unruly student but took great interest in the rapidly developing science of flight. In 1921 he began military service and learned to fly, later being commissioned as an air force officer. After 3 years in business, Saint-Exupéry became a commercial pilot in 1926, flying first from France to Morocco and West Africa. From his experiences he drew the novel that launched his literary career in 1929, Courrier Sud (Southern Mail). Here he portrays the pilot's solitary struggle against the elements and his sense of dedication to his vocation, stronger even than love.

In 1929 Saint-Exupéry was transferred...