Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger de Saint-Exupéry, known simply as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was a French writer, poet, journalist, and aviator. He is renowned for his novella The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince), along with his lyrical aviation writings, such as Wind, Sand and Stars and Night Flight (Vol de nuit). His body of work, which received several prestigious literary awards, has been translated into many languages.

Prior to World War II, Saint-Exupéry was a successful commercial pilot, navigating airmail routes across Europe, Africa, and South America. With the onset of the war, he joined the French Air Force, embarking on reconnaissance missions until France's armistice with Germany in 1940. After being demobilised, he moved to the United States in an effort to persuade its government to enter the war against Nazi Germany.

During his 28-month stay in the United States, he authored three of his most significant works. Despite being well over the age for combat pilots and battling declining health, he joined the Free French Air Force in North Africa. Saint-Exupéry's life came to a mysterious end when he disappeared on a reconnaissance mission over the Mediterranean on July 31, 1944. In 2000, the wreckage of his plane was discovered off the coast of Marseille, yet the cause of the crash remains unsolved.