Le Petit Prince

By: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Narrated by: Félix Radu

À l'occasion des 75 ans du Petit Prince, une nouvelle version audio de ce conte universel !

"Le premier soir, je me suis donc endormi sur le sable à mille milles de toute terre habitée. J'étais bien plus isolé qu'un naufragé sur un radeau au milieu de l'océan. Alors, vous imaginez ma surprise, au lever du jour, quand une drôle de petite voix m'a réveillé. Elle disait : “S'il vous plaît... dessine-moi un mouton !” J'ai bien regardé. Et j'ai vu ce petit bonhomme tout à fait extraordinaire qui me considérait gravement..."

©1946 Editions Gallimard (P)2022 Editions Gallimard Jeunesse

Comparing Félix Radu & Bernard Giraudeau

The French publisher of Le petit prince, Gallimard, could have hired a high-profile actor for its new, 2022 recording, but instead engaged an actor who's up-and-coming. Félix Radu, 27, is a writer and actor working in his native Belgium and France. You can get a sense of his style from the many clips on YouTube of his work, and from his own YouTube channel.

Gallimard continues to offer the late Bernard Giraudeau’s recording. He passed away in 2010, and I believe that the recording was made in 2006. I like both performances, but they come across differently.

Giraudeau is somewhat more theatrical. He skips de Saint-Exupéry’s dedication to his friend Léon Werth, going straight to Chapter 1. Music is used to mark new chapters and to support events in the story. Giraudeau also adopts more markedly different voices for each character.

Radu’s reading puts de Saint-Exupéry’s words first. He starts with the dedication, which I think is important, framing the whole book. There’s no musical embellishment, just his voice. His delivery changes with the character, but more subtly.

Both recordings are of excellent quality. Radu and Giraudeau speak clearly. For people who are interested in the backgrounds of the actors, Wikipedia has an entry for each. Radu also has a personal website.