In the summer of 1942, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry moved to Northport, a little village on Long Island not far from New York, to a mansion by the name of the Bevin House, and it was here that he wrote The Little Prince. A sculpture of the Little Prince is to be unveiled here shortly. Saint-Exupéry was looking for a quiet place in the country where he could work in peace, but close enough to New York for him to stay in touch with his business affairs. He had been living in the USA for over 18 months, having moved here after demobilisation, in common with many French intellectuals. He was already highly popular and had enjoyed some success, particularly with the publication of Flight to Arras (Pilote de Guerre). One day, his US publisher saw him sketching an unusual little character. He managed to convince Saint-Exupéry to write a children\’s story to be published in time for Christmas 1942. And it was in Northport that Saint-Exupéry found the time to write his tale and draw the illustrations, although The Little Prince was not actually published until April 1943.

In 2004, the Northport-East Northport Public Library celebrated its 90^th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the library was extended and a garden laid out for readers\’ enjoyment. Next September, a bronze statue of The Little Prince is to be unveiled on the terrace, a tribute from the community of Northport to the character of universal appeal who was born here. The project was the idea of Yvette O’Brien, a French teacher who has lived in Northport for 35 years. Mrs. O\’Brien thought the Northport library garden would be the ideal setting for the sculpture, which will commemorate for all time the historic moment of The Little Prince\’s creation.