MONTBLANC 2017 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - Homage to Night Flight Writers Limited Edition 1931 Factory - Sealed Fountain Pen (FP)

2017 is the year Montblanc pays homage to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French writer and pioneering aviator.
Saint-Exupéry was a successful commercial pilot before World War II. At the outbreak of war, he joined the French Airforce until France’s armistice with Germany in 1940.
He then joined the Free French Airforce in North Africa. He disappeared on his last mission in July 1944.
He’s the author of The Aviator; Wind, Sand and Stars, and Night Flight. However, he’s best remembered for his novella Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince), which is the most translated novella in the world.

Pilot and Poet: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Rarely has a person been as passionate about flying as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Born in 1900, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry discovered a fascination for flying at the age of twelve – a fascination which was to remain with him for the rest of his life. He not only craved the adventure of flight, he also longed to give literary expression to his experiences and philosophise about them. His life was full of extraordinary moments that he transformed  into short stories and novels. Their success made him one of the most awarded and succesfull contemporary authors, even during his own lifetime.

Author of the skies

It was Antoine de Saint-Exupéry who wrote the world’s most read and translated French literary artwork: The Little Prince, published in 1943. His literary breakthrought, however, took place twelve years earlier with Night Flight, which told of his first night-time flights in Argentina. The many details of the Montblanc Writers Edition Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Homage to Night Flight Limited Edition 1931 reflect both his aeroplane, the Caudron C.630 Simoun, and his great passion for aviation.
The cap and the barrel are decorated with Saint Exupery’s self portrait and one of the first sketches he made of The Little Prince.

Pioneer of Aviation

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is considered to be one of the greatest pioneers of the skies. He was an airmail pilot, test pilot, explorer of new flight routes, record-breaking long-haul pilot and reconnaisance pilot for the Free French Air Forces during the IIWW. Many details of his plane served as inspiration for the design of this Writers Edition, including the engravings on the cap and barrel, which are reminiscent of rivets. The frame surrounding the cockpit window of his Caudron C.630 Simoun inspired the design of the clip, while the cap top and the platinum-coated fittings reflect details of the cockpit itself. The two windows in the cap, modelled on the cockpit windows, reveal the nib within. We can therfore consider this model as a skeleton one.

Philosophy of flying

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s long-cherised dream of flying not only enabled him to experience many adventures, it also became part of his philosophy of life. Aviation led him back to the secret of being, to the mysteries of the universe.
Many of these existential meditations found a place in his novel Night Flight, in which he reflects on his own childhood. The simple, yet skillful drawings adorning this edition – a caricature of himself on the cap and an image of his most famous invention, The Little Prince, on the barrel – are a testament to his artistic talent, which was nourished by his experiences as an aviator. The cap ring is engraved with the signature of this legendary artist, thinker and writer.

The legend

His extraordinary achievements made Antoine de Saint-Exupéry an almost mythic figure – making the mystery of his last flight even more bewildering.
On July 31th 1944, he took off on a flight over occupied France, which he never returned from. It wasn’t until 54 years later that the wreckage of his plane was recovered near Marseille. To pay hommage to the world-famous literary figure The Little Prince, one of the stars with which Antoine de Saint-Exupéry  illustrated his fairy tale is engraved on the handmade AU 750 gold nib. The captop is crowned with the iconic Montblanc emblem in mother-of-pearl.

The Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Homage to Night Flight Writers Limited Edition 1931 – created in 2017 – is only available in a limited edition worldwide. The number engraved on the capi s proof of the uniqeness of every piece. This utterly unique writing instrument was made by a master craftsman using the finest materials and applying the utmost precision.

Design features

•     The limitation of 1931 pieces worldwide is a reference to the year “Night Flight” was published
•    The emblem is made of mother of pearl with superluminova lacquer underneath, paying tribute to the flight equipment and the earth version from the sky
•    The cap ring is engraved with his signature
•    The platinum-coated fittings are inspired by the cockpit of his plane
•    18k gold nib pays homage to “The Little Prince” – it’s one of the stars illustrating his novella

This specimen comes still sealed in the original shrinkwrap complete with all original boxes, papers and packaging. And namely:

•    Specific blue hardcover book box
•    Velvet pillow
•    Additional black leather sleeve with a facsimile of one of the many letters that Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote in 1931 to his early love Louise “Loulou”de Vilmorin.
•    Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Certificate (blank)
•    Montblanc Writers Edition Service Guide
•    Outer box
•    Outer packaging.

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