"The Little Prince is being offered to children too early"
Continuation of the famous novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupery — "The Little Prince. New Adventures" is published in Russia on August 19 by Willy Winky publishing house. Spanish writer Eloy Moreno received the approval of the author's heirs and transferred the hero's story to modern realities, preserving its main feature — to ask simple questions that adults sometimes find difficult to answer. In an interview with Izvestia, Moreno talks about what it was like to gain creative freedom while working on a sequel to a classic book, why AI works need to be labeled, as well as what connects him with Russian readers and why he would like to visit Moscow.
"I was given complete creative freedom"
— Under what circumstances did you take up the continuation of "The Little Prince"?
— Actually, this offer came from the publishing house. I was told that in many countries of the world the copyright for "The Little Prince" has expired and the publisher is looking for a writer who could write a sequel. They looked at many authors and eventually settled on me, because they are close to my writing style, the way I know how to address the reader's feelings through words. It was a real surprise and a great joy for me.
— How was your conversation with Fondation Antoine de Saint-Exupéry? What did you say when you were offered to become the first author to be officially entrusted with the continuation of Saint-Exupery's book? Did the heirs have any fundamental conditions or boundaries that could not be violated?
— From the very beginning, everything was very easy: I was given complete creative freedom. I was not given any instructions, rules or restrictions. I could write exactly what I thought was necessary. Of course, after the completion of the work, the representatives of the foundation had to read the text and approve it. And so it happened. They really liked the book, and that's why we continued working on the project.
— When did you first read "The Little Prince" and what influence did the story have on you?
— You can say that I had two "first times". When I first read The Little Prince, I think I was still too young to really understand it. I only remember a short story about a man who got lost in the desert and met a small, oddly dressed boy there.
But when I reread the book as a teenager, I began to understand the depth of its meaning. Later, as an adult, rereading it again, I discovered new metaphors that I hadn't noticed before. And now that I've had to reread "The Little Prince" a thousand times while working on the sequel, I think I've been able to really feel every detail of it.
— "The Little Prince" is a book that different generations read in completely different ways. How has it changed for you with age? And what did you see in her for the first time as a writer?
— As I said before, the book itself, or rather the perception of its content, varies depending on the age of the reader. It seems to me that "The Little Prince" is often offered to children too early, when they are not yet able to understand the meaning of the work. Since the book has illustrations, it is automatically classified as children's literature, although, in my opinion, this is not entirely true.
Rereading the book as an adult and a writer, I discovered many small metaphors that struck me. In addition, I have my own interpretations of some episodes, and I am sure that they are very personal.
"The book also talks about the phenomenon of influencers"
— You said that you tried to preserve the structure of the original, but to bring its problems to the present day. Which of the world of the 2020s should the Little Prince see first — loneliness, dependence on technology, social networks, environmental problems, or something much simpler and more human?
— My initial idea was to preserve the structure of the original book, but to bring its issues to the present, including rethinking the planets that the Little Prince visits. For example, I wanted to show different forms of government through the rulers of different planets, so that the reader could see and evaluate their advantages and disadvantages for himself.
When the Little Prince finds himself on Earth, he faces problems that he did not notice during his previous journey: overpopulation, cruelty to animals, migration of people, pills for sleep, pills "for happiness" ... The book talks about the superficiality of social networks, and the phenomenon of influencers.
— At Saint-Exupery, the Little Prince asks adults uncomfortable questions and forces them to look at familiar things with different eyes. And what question is your Little Prince asking a modern person today?
— In the new book, he still asks uncomfortable questions to others, although for him, because he is still a child, these are completely simple and innocent questions. He doesn't understand why adults need pills to fall asleep if he just needs to close his eyes. He doesn't understand why the fox is in the cage. He also does not understand how a person can feel lonely when the streets are crowded with people. He also doesn't understand why no one asks questions on the planet of wisdom and why wisdom herself is alone there.
— If you imagine that one day the Little Prince would come to Earth and meet you as a writer, what would you talk about with him and what question would you ask?
— Probably, we would talk about the simplest things: about what excites and pleases him, what he likes to do, what he has discovered on Earth that he has not seen in other places. It seems to me that sometimes it's the simplest conversations that turn out to be the most interesting.
"It is interesting to discover modern Russian literature"
— Your books are already well known in Russia. We have released "Invisible", "Earth", "Green gel pen", "Other". Do you know what kind of response they get from the audience?
— I am very glad that many of my books have reached Russian readers. Moreover, readers from Russia often write to me, both on social networks and by e—mail, telling me about their impressions of my books. I really like it! Many people thank me for addressing emotional, sensitive topics that are often not discussed in fiction.
— What do you know about Russian literature?
— Of the Russian authors, I am primarily familiar with the classics — Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and others. I have not read modern Russian writers yet, but I will be happy to listen to the recommendations. It would be very interesting for me to discover modern Russian literature.
— Is there a book by a Russian author that you come back to, or one that strongly influenced you?
— I read a variety of literature: detective stories, action-packed and historical prose, biographies. But I've never had one particular author or work that influenced me more than the others.
— You write a lot about human nature — about compassion, loneliness, guilt, love and the ability of a person to see another. In your opinion, is there anything in common in the way Russian and Spanish literature address the inner world of a person?
— Stories — at least for now — are written by people, which is why they turn out to be so human. We're talking about loneliness, sadness, happiness, love, hate, and relationships between people. And in this sense, I don't think there's much difference between writers from different countries: we all experience the same feelings. I think that's one of the reasons why my novels have been translated into more than 25 languages: ultimately, our feelings are very similar.
— An interesting "so far" remark in the context of the fact that people write stories. The use of artificial intelligence in creative work is now widely discussed in Russia. Do you use neural networks when working on books and how do you feel about it?
— I hardly use artificial intelligence either in my work or in my daily life. I think this is a very useful tool for solving certain tasks, but at the same time it threatens the work of many people, such as illustrators. In this field, artificial intelligence can study thousands of illustrations, learn from them, and then create an image very similar to the one that a particular author would make.
— Do you think it is necessary to label literature created with the help of artificial intelligence?
- yes. I think everything created with the help of artificial intelligence should be appropriately labeled so that a person can make an informed choice himself. Besides, it seems to me that in the future we will more often look for something analog, more real.
"I would like to see the Red Square"
— After The Invisible Man, you received a huge number of letters from teenagers who were confronted with bullying, and now you are working with the topics of digital addiction and cyberbullying. Where do you see the line between literature and the social responsibility of a writer?
— It's a very fine line. But in my case, literature and social responsibility really go hand in hand, because in my books I constantly address social and emotional topics. Therefore, readers recognize themselves in these stories and feel like they are a part of what is happening.
When you write about bullying, addiction to social media or television, and the desire to fulfill dreams, readers begin to share their own experiences with me. Perhaps it is the appeal to such universal themes that is one of the reasons why my books have been translated into many languages.
— Your literary career began with the independent publication of the "Green Gel Pen": you sold the book yourself and literally searched for readers for it. Now your publications are selling millions of copies, and in 2025 you signed more than 11 thousand copies in 12 hours. How has your connection with the reader changed over the years?
— Fortunately, my relationship with the readers has not changed much. It was their support that helped me get to where I am today. When no one knew me yet, it was the readers who, with their recommendations, helped my books find a new audience. I have always tried to conduct large tours and come to autograph sessions in as many cities as possible. And I continue to do so to this day.
— Have you ever been to Russia?
— I have never been to Russia, but I would really like to come someday. I love discovering new places and getting to know other cultures. I would like to visit Moscow, see Red Square, and visit some churches. It would be interesting to walk around the usual areas, observe the daily life of the city and, of course, try the local cuisine.
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