Antoine de Saint-Exupery had two real passions in life: literature and heaven. A pilot and writer, he created a novel that almost became his autobiography, and called it “Planet of people”. A summary of this work will be the main theme of our article.
Eternal sky
From childhood, Exupery was obsessed with heaven; for hours he could tirelessly examine it. For this feature, the boy received the nickname Lunatic, which was awarded to his peers.
For the first time, Antoine managed to appear in the sky at the age of 12 on an ordinary civilian plane. And only nine years later the flight was repeated when de Saint-Exupery himself became a military pilot. It is precisely those events and feelings that the writer went through at the helm of a combat vehicle that formed the basis of the novel "The Planet of People." The summary of the work allows you to take a fresh look at the personality of the author himself, his strength of mind and ability to fight to the last.
About the book
This work is the most autobiographical of all that was created by de Saint-Exupery. "Planet of people" (a brief summary will be discussed below) is a novel written on behalf of a military pilot. The plot of the work is noteworthy, which develops, like a puzzle, out of fragments of thoughts, memories, and noteworthy stories. Telling about the events that happened to him, the protagonist simultaneously discusses duty, religion, responsibility, a person’s place in life.
For the narrator, as well 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 dedicates the book to his fellow pilot named Henri Guillaume.
The novel begins with the argument that a person can reveal himself only in the struggle. Pilots are compared with peasants who, cultivating the land, learn the innermost secrets of nature. So the pilots, plowing the heavenly expanses, open up new secrets of our planet.
The narrator recalls his first flight over Argentina. Below, a lot of lights flickered, each of which spoke of human lives, their dreams and hopes.
First work
From the very first lines it becomes clear that the prototype of the protagonist is Exupery himself. The Planet of People (a brief summary illustrates this very well) describes the life of a pilot who, just like the author, began his career as a pilot with work for the airline. Here he was supposed to deliver mail.
Professionals shunned the newcomers, holding themselves cold 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 one could easily fall into the trap of dips and whirlwinds. All the young people worshiped these “old men,” and when some of the experienced did not return, reverence only intensified.
A brief summary of the "Planet of people" tells about the first real task of the pilot. The protagonist, in anticipation of the future, felt like a sovereign, the person who will be responsible for the delivery of mail. The people next to him talked about their petty concerns, illnesses, money problems. And he felt how they voluntarily enclosed themselves in a cell of philistinism, they would never know the joys of real life. The pilot, on the other hand, is alone with nature itself, he has to deal with thunderstorms and winds, risk himself, that is, feel all the joy of human life.
Pilot Stories
The description of the life of the pilots in the novel "Planet of people" continues. The summary now tells the story of a good friend of the storyteller - Mermose. This man became the discoverer of the South American line and founded the Casablanca-Dakar airline in France.
Mermoza was a "scout", he opened new routes and explored uncharted places. He conquered the sea, sands and mountains, which more than once tried to devour him. But the pilot invariably got out of the trap of nature.
And then, during a flight across the South Atlantic, Mermosa unexpectedly announced via a walkie-talkie that his right-hand engine was turned off. No more news came from him. The pilot completed his last flight at the bottom of the ocean.
Saint-Exupery (“The Planet of People”) tells not only sad stories in his work. The summary also tells about those pilots who managed to resurrect after they were recognized dead. This is the story of Guillaume, who went through snow and ice, struggled with the elements for five days and emerged victorious.
Airplane
The 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 a person a plane. The machine reveals the deep processes of the Earth, gives knowledge about the ebbs and flows, gives an idea of the amazing things that surround us daily. In these discussions, the voice of Exupery himself is undoubtedly heard. "Planet of people", a brief summary does not allow to doubt it - a kind of confession of the writer. Here the author directly and openly talks about his attitude 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 waiting for a meeting with amazing girls who looked 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, divorced from nature and naturalness.
Desert
He devoted a significant place in his novel to the description of the desert de Saint Exupery ("Planet of people"). The summary perfectly conveys the feelings that the author himself experienced when he was captured by the sand. Exupery, more than once crashed, knows very well what it means to be in the Sahara alone.
The desert is dangerous not only by sandstorms and dehydration, but also by rebels. To experience such a thing fell to the writer in the very first voyage. Then his plane crashed in West Africa, near a small fort, where an old sergeant lived out his life.
Arabs
Not only about the sky and the pilots argues the author in the novel "Planet of people." A 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 rains to his followers. For some, this even became an occasion to doubt the truth of their own faith and an occasion to submit to the French. But not everyone agreed with this state of affairs, there were those who were ready to do anything to restore their greatness to their people. Former warriors who became shepherds could not forget about the battles won. The author once spoke with such an Arab. He realized that the barbarian does not protect his wealth or freedom, but the world that he created for himself.
The Bedouins revered the French captain Bonnafus, who raided them constantly. The Arabs believed that there was no greater joy than being able 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.
The author pays a lot of attention to the description of the life of the Arabs, which is confirmed by the summary of the Planet of people. The work tells about the mores and laws of these people. Slavery was widespread among them. All the slaves were called the same - Bark. And only those who could earn the respect of the Arabs were given names.
Three days in the sand
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 barely survived. Exhausted by thirst, unbearable heat, a game of imagination and mirages, the pilot, however, did not at all regret what life he had chosen for himself. Even on the verge of death, Exupery (this story is absolutely autobiographical) was even willing to pay such a price for the fact that he had the opportunity to truly live, to know our world and unravel, even a little, his secrets.
Saved the poor Bedouin. Initially, the pilot and mechanic took this man for God.
Conclusion
All stories told here were experienced by the author himself. During his bright, though not very long life, de Saint-Exupery met many interesting personalities, visited the most amazing places and experienced what few people manage to do. And all this the author put into his novel "Planet of people." A very brief summary of the writer’s life is how this title can be entitled.