1. Summary The Little Prince ( Le Petit Prince ) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a classic novella. Because it was published in 1943, its text is in the public domain in many countries (e.g., Canada, Australia, most of Europe, and others with "life + 70 years" rules). However, it remains under copyright in the United States (until 2039 due to special extensions) and other life+70 countries where the author’s death date (1944) is the key.