This is a famous quotation from the beginning of The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince (*1). A pilot who made an emergency landing in a desert first met with the Little Prince through this conversation. As they exchanged words in the mysterious world of space-time, the pilot was not sure if this was a dream or reality. But the pilot was soon enlightened and realized that something was missing from the kingdom of mankind.
The Little Prince of Antoine de Saint-Exupery is one of my favorite novels. It is a very peculiar story because it can be regarded as a fairy tale for children, but for adults, it can also be a satire against mankind or society. Considering the author was an army pilot at the time when he wrote the novel (between 1942 and 43), we may find a deeper message in this story. (*2)
I have often wondered why the author decided that the prince came from an asteroid, because an asteroid is a very miniscule object in space. Why did Antoine de Saint-Exupery choose an asteroid as the home of the Petit Prince?
