Antoine de Saint-Exupery - The Citadel (enlarged format). Gift book bound in leather.

"The Citadel" is the greatest creation of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the pinnacle of his artistic philosophy. This powerful, indestructible literary fortress was built by the writer for many years with maximum dedication and endless love.

In the text of the "Citadel" you can find many references to the Bible, the "Koran", Buddhism, the works of Friedrich Nietzsche ("the death of the gods"), Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), Rene Descartes, ancient philosophers, etc.From the point of view of marketing classification, "Citadel" is included in the category of "intellectual bestsellers".

Most of the book was recorded during Saint-Exupery's last stay in the United States, in Algeria and Corsica (1941-1944) The total volume of dictaphone recordings was 985 typewritten pages.

There were many inaccuracies in the first edition of the Citadel, in addition, it did not take into account the manuscripts: after all, Saint-Exupery bought a dictaphone in the United States only in 1941. While work on the book began in 1936. In 1958, the editors were provided with a collection of Citadel manuscripts that allowed them to better understand the author's thoughts and intentions.

Since "The Citadel" was not completed (Saint-Exupery always repeated that he would never finish it), and the book itself was too voluminous and difficult to read, the French writer Michel Quesnel, at the request of the family of heirs, made an attempt to edit it, making some cuts and removing repetitions, thereby highlighting all the artistic merits more clearly. The new version turned out to be more accessible and popular, helped to bring readers closer to this inimitable masterpiece of the great writer-architect, who builds his own citadel in the heart of everyone.