''Courrier sud'', translated as ''Southern Mail'' and ''Southern Carrier'', is the first novel by
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry, simply known as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ; 29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), was a French writer, poet, aristocrat, journalist and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of s ...
, published in 1929.
[de Saint-Exupéry, Antoine (1929) Southern Mail. Translated by Curtis Cate (1972). Mariner Books, ] Encouraged by the publication of his short story
The Aviator, Saint-Exupéry followed up with this work based on his pioneering flights for the French
airmail
Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be the ...
service.
[Parry, M. A Symbolic Interpretation of "Courrier Sud" '']The Modern Language Review
''Modern Language Review'' is the journal of the Modern Humanities Research Association ( MHRA). It is one of the oldest journals in the field of modern languages. Founded in 1905, it has published more than 3,000 articles and 20,000 book reviews. ...
'', Vol. 69, No. 2 (Apr., 1974), pp. 297–307
A structured novel, it has three sections, the shorter outer sections being set in the heat and daylight of the
Sahara Desert
, photo = Sahara real color.jpg
, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
, map =
, map_image =
, location =
, country =
, country1 =
, ...
, the long central section in France at night and in pelting rain. The story thread consists of an investigation into the disappearance of an aviator in the Sahara.
The novel was adapted into the 1937 French film ''
Courrier sud'' directed by
Pierre Billon.
References
1929 French novels
Works by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Aviation novels
Éditions Gallimard books
{{1920s-novel-stub