Jean Giono, the only son of a cobbler and a laundress, was one of France's greatest writers. His prodigious literary output includes stories, essays, poetry, plays, film scripts, translations and over thirty novels, many of which have been translated into English. Giono, a pacifist, was twice imprisoned in France during World War II. He remained tied to Provence and Manosque, the little city where he was born in 1895 and, in 1970, died.
In his fable, "The Man Who Planted Trees," he tells the story of a solitary French shepherd who planted one hundred acorns a day for thirty years, transforming the environment and community around him. It is an eloquently told tale of how an individual can have such a positive impact through the strength of his convictions and the stamina to pursue them.
In his fable, "The Man Who Planted Trees," he tells the story of a solitary French shepherd who planted one hundred acorns a day for thirty years, transforming the environment and community around him. It is an eloquently told tale of how an individual can have such a positive impact through the strength of his convictions and the stamina to pursue them.
