Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

About Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) was a celebrated French writer and pioneering aviator whose literary contributions cemented his high historical standing. Ranked #317 in MIT's Historical Popularity Index, his enduring legacy is largely tied to works like The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince), which blends philosophical allegory with children's literature, and his aviation memoir, Wind, Sand and Stars. His life ended tragically when he disappeared during a reconnaissance mission in World War II, adding a layer of mystique to his historical narrative.

In the modern digital landscape, Saint-Exupéry commands an attention level that is nearly perfectly aligned with his historical weight. Receiving 438K annualized Wikipedia pageviews in 2025, his Attention Gap is calculated at approximately 1x, suggesting his online visibility is commensurate with his global cultural impact score. For comparison, this places him significantly behind contemporaries like Oscar Wilde (#541 importance, 2.0M views), but also above historically more important figures like Karl Benz (#193 importance, 53K views), indicating a relatively balanced modern reception.

However, the trajectory of this attention suggests a slight cooling: his 2025 annualized views show a year-over-year decline of -6.7%, further supported by a -6% dip in momentum when comparing Q1 to Q3 traffic.