Born 30 March 1895 to Jean-Antoine Giono, an anarchist shoemaker, and Pauline Pourcin Giono, Jean Giono spent his whole life, apart from holidays and abominated war service, in the small town of Manosque in Provence. In the late 1920s, released from work in a bank by his first writing successes, he began to devote his time to producing a cornucopian spread of fiction and teaching himself a wide culture. One of his texts, "Le Grand Théâtre," appeared in possibly the most exclusive book ever, encrusted with gems by Salvador Dalí, weighing 460 pounds, and valued at over a million dollars. In every way, Giono is a luxury writer.

He was fond of nature--a major theme throughout his work--and close to his parents, with whom his relationship seems to have been excellent. He particularly liked watching his father at work. In 1936, under the title "Les Vraies Richesses" (True...