Collecting "Le petit Prince" - A big thank you to all the special, incredible people that are playing the game with me, year after year

"Now I always have a look around, when I am in some new place. Somehow, he has become my new habit", he says.

And I just melt.

This very good friend of mine is talking about looking for new, exotic editions of "The Little Prince" for my collection while traveling and/on being abroad for some time for whatever reason, and knowing that he remembers me and my special game makes me feel seen, loved and appreciated.

Collecting the book has been a serendipitous idea, something that I would not have expected and yet kept me company all these years, almost fifteen years by now.

And now, after so many years, my collection looks like this:

[My collection of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

as it is in June 2020: over 100 books 

in around 70 languages and dialects]

According to the most recent data, the book has been translated into more than 350 languages and dialects worldwide.

Collecting "Le petit Prince" - The books, dialects, and languages that are not part of my collection yet (I-Z)

This week I have already published the first part of the list of books/languages that are not part of my collection (yet), including the missing languages from A to H.

As I promised, here we are with the second part of the list (missing languages I-Z)!

The second part of the list is huge: around 85 missing languages! (They were actually more than 90 only some months ago...)

This means that if you want to buy a present for me, it's very easy to make me happy, don't you think? (I am kidding, of course... Well, sort of kind of)

I am a hopeless optimist and I am sure that my collection will grow and grow over the years.
Have a nice weekend!

[Dating A Flower Feels Very One-Sided
is the "new" title for "The Little Prince", 
according to the "Better Book Titles" project]

Let's go and see what still needs some attention...

Collecting "Le petit Prince" - The books, dialects, and languages that are not part of my collection yet (A-H)

As you may know, some weeks ago I have published the list of books that are already part of my collection of "Le petit Prince": they were 44 languages in it then (now they are more than 70!). 

In the same post, I have promised to publish the list of books/languages that are not part of my collection (yet).

Since the list is - unfortunately - very big, I have decided to split it into two parts. Today, I'm publishing the first part of the list (missing languages A-H).

On Saturday I will publish the second part of the list (missing languages I-Z), at last!

Stay tuned!

[The Little Prince Grand Tour Doll, 2000

Thanks for the picture of this treasure, Rossana!]

Which kind of present I would dearly enjoy?

Collecting "Le petit Prince" - The books, dialects, and languages that are already part of my collection

If someone should ask you about "your" list, which kind of list it would be?
Places you have been to? Crazy adventures that are on your bucket list? Your favorite restaurants? The playlist that you could listen to for days and days in a row?

As I promised last week, here I am with "my" list.

Today I am sharing with you the list of books/languages that are already part of my collection of different editions of "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

[It's time to set out for an amazing journey...

While exploring the many languages and dialects 

available for "The Little Prince"]

Since the book has been published in over 200 languages and dialects and I've got 70+ different versions so far, there is still a lot of work to do!

In the coming weeks, I will publish the list of books/languages that are not part of my collection (yet).

Without any further ado, ladies and gents...

Collecting "Le petit Prince" - Why collecting the book is like a big, wonderful game

As already said in this post, I collect different editions, languages, and versions of "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry since 2006. Even if it is my favorite book since I was 15 years old, it all has begun fortuitously, as a mere serendipitous accident, but over the years collecting the book has become really important to me.

The book, voted in 1999 among the first five most important books of the 20th century by "Le Monde", has been published in over 250 languages and dialects and it is also available as an audiobook, graphic novel, and in Braille.

[My collection of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: 

over 80 books in more than 30 languages]

It would be easy to check eBay etc. in order to find all the languages at once and to buy them in two or three "shopping rushes".
It is of course way more exciting to look for the book in shops and flea markets, to check in new places if I am on holiday somewhere, to ask friends and colleagues to bring back a copy of the book for me if they are planning to visit an exotic location, to find an old copy thanks to serendipity or to get a used one from someone I met.

Three words in four languages for my 2011, because failure is just the beginning

A new year is about to start, and it is going to be kind of unique.

Probably not an easy one, and yet for sure a cathartic one.

[My Kim Novak in Purple]

2010 has been tough and, from the outside, one could think that I've experienced failure every single day for the whole year, while living in a different country, in a different culture, in a different language.

But. But even if I have been sometimes overwhelmed by fears, sadness, or just millions of cultural misunderstandings, I kept going. No matter what.
Maybe sometimes not so fast or not so confidently as I would have wanted, but I kept going anyway.  And that's what matters.

In Chris Brogan's style, my three words for 2011 are going to be:

#1. Courage (Mut, courage, coraggio)
#2. Perseverance (Entschlossenheit, détermination, determinazione)
#3. Quality (Qualität, qualité, qualità)

Tags: Three words for one year, Self-awareness, Self-mastery, Emotional intelligence, Perseverance

What to read next:

Coaching, reloaded - Coaching question of the day #79. - Setting goals like a she-devil

Visiting the blog for the first time? Aloha!

Where to start, if you are new

Playing with words #1. Exotic or erotic?

For many people, something (or someone...) exotic is ipso facto also attractive and maybe erotic. Already heard about dark Latin lovers or cute Japanese girls, anyone?

Under these circumstancese, being exotic somehow means being erotic too...

[A beautiful and exotic Purple flower
Image source: Healthy Home Gardening]

Until today I had never noticed that only one consonant separates also literally something exotic from something erotic, in at least four languages. But I'm starting to doubt in a lot more...

• English - exotic / erotic
• French - exotique / érotique
• German - exotisch / erotisch
• Italian - esotico / erotico

Do you know other languages for this wordplay?

--

Per molte persone, qualcosa (o qualcuno...) esotico è automaticamente attraente e in una certa misura erotico. Avete già sentito parlare di focosi Latin lovers e deliziose ragazze giapponesi?
In tali circostanze, essere esotici significa in qualche modo essere anche erotici...

Fino a oggi non avevo notato che solo una consonante separa anche letteralmente qualcosa esotico da qualcosa erotico, in almeno quattro lingue. Ma probabilmente in molte di più...

• Inglese - exotic / erotic
• Francese - exotique / érotique
• Tedesco - exotisch / erotisch
• Italiano - esotico / erotico

Conoscete altre lingue in cui questo gioco di parole sia valido?

Tags: Word play, Adjective, Language, Learning a language, Exotic, Erotic, Gioco di parole, Aggettivo, Imparare una lingua, Esotico, Erotico

Remembering Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and the mysterious circumstances of his death

Which one is your favorite book?

How often did you and do you get inspired by it?

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and the Little Prince
Statue by Christiane Guillaumet, Place Bellecour in Lyon]

As you may know, The Petit Prince is my favorite book. After celebrating Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's birth, today we're talking about this death.

On July 31st, 1944, the French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, while being on duty during WWII, left the military base in Naples to carry out a mission in solo flight. He's disappeared with his own plane and his last message was a radio silence.
So the mystery of his vanishing began, while letting generations of fans puzzled about his fate and his death. It was only after almost sixty years, in 2003, that the remains of the aircraft were located and found beyond any doubt and the mystery of his vanishing was partially solved.

Tags: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le petit Prince, The Little Prince, Literature, Death anniversary

What to read next:
Collecting "Le petit Prince" - Why collecting the book is like a big, wonderful game

Visiting the blog for the first time? Aloha!

Where to start, if you are new

Rebel Without a Cause #1. Albert Camus

How easily can you say no?
How would you describe a rebel? (A real one)

On LinkedIn, I'm having a really interesting and proactive discussion about sustainability and I've decided to share with you one of my comments.

Qu'est-ce qu'un homme révolté? Un homme qui dit non.

(What is a rebel? A man who says no)

Albert Camus [1913-1960]
L'Homme révolté

Sixty-first anniversary of Simone de Beauvoir's 'The Second Sex'

[Simone de Beauvoir, portrait by Henri Cartier-Bresson]

On ne naît pas femme: on le devient.
(One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman)

Simone-Lucie-Ernestine-Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir [1908-1986]
Le deuxième sexe

Today is the sixty-first anniversary of the publication of Simone de Beauvoir's masterpiece, 'The Second Sex'.

The Simone de Beauvoir's book was a powerful invitation to all women to become stronger, indipendent and free. At her time, this was quite impossible, and also inconceivable in some cases, for the great majority of women.
Sixty-one years later, this is still impossible and inconceivable for too many women, all around the world. There's still a lot of work to do. To become a woman is very painful, dangerous and hard, but it's worth the trip.

In French, s'il vous plaît #5.

Agir et penser comme tout le monde n'est jamais une recommandation; ce n'est pas toujours une excuse.

Marguerite Yourcenar [1903-1987]
Archives du Nord

Previous post:
In French, s'il vous plaît #1.

Mood: Third Alternative

Après tout, ce n'est pas si désagréable que ça de vieillir, quand on pense à l'autre éventualité.

Maurice Chevalier [1888-1972]

In French, s'il vous plaît #3.

Il arrive souvent de ne rien obtenir parce que l'on ne tente rien.

Jacques Deval [1895-1972]
Afin de vivre bel et bien

In French, s'il vous plaît #2.

Malheur à qui n'a plus rien à désirer! On jouit moins de ce qu'on obtient que de ce qu'on espère et l'on n'est heureux qu'avant d'être heureux.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau [1712-1778]
Julie ou La nouvelle Héloïse

In French, s'il vous plaît #1.

[A very young Marguerite Yourcenar]

Nos défauts sont parfois les meilleurs adversaires que nous opposions à nos vices.

Marguerite Yourcenar [1903-1987]
Alexis ou le traité du vain combat

Mood: Looking for Simplicity, Feat. Henri-Louis Bergson

L'homme devrait mettre autant d'ardeur à simplifier sa vie qu'il en met à la compliquer.

Henri-Louis Bergson [1859-1941]

This quote by French philosopher and essayist Henri-Louis Bergson says "People should put as much passion to simplify their life as they put to complicate it". 

It is a very interesting point of view and I know for sure that sometimes we feel so lost in our problems and in our thoughts, just like in this Black-and-White labyrinth, that we forget that for sure another way is possible too. Another solution. Another life.

To simplify is not that simple, of course, and takes time and practice.

But practice makes the master, after all.

Are you willing to semplifiy your life too?

How do you make your life more simple and easy-to-manage?

--

Questa citazione del filosofo e saggista francese Henri-Louis Bergson suona come "L'uomo dovrebbe tentare con altrettanto ardore di rendere la propria vita più semplice di quanto ne impieghi per renderla complicata". 

Si tratta di un punto di vista molto interessante e so per certo che a volte siamo talmente persi nei nostri problemi e nei nostri pensieri, proprio come in questo labirinto in bianco e nero, che ci dimentichiamo che c'è sicuramente un'altra via possibile. Un'altra soluzione. Un'altra vita.

Naturalmente non è così semplice rendere le cose semplici, e richiede tempo ed esercizio. 

Ma dopo tutto è l'esercizio che porta alla perfezione.

Desiderate anche voi semplificare la vostra vita?

Come rendete la vostra vita più semplice e facile da gestire?

Tags: Henri Bergson, Simplicity, Philosophy, Literature, Quotes, Semplicità, Filosofia, Letteratura, Citazioni