MAN WHO PLANTED TREES

A beloved masterpiece of nature writing in beautiful new paperback with original woodcut illustrations by Harry Brockway and an introduction by Richard Mabey. He says: 'There are two Jean Giono tales here. One the world-famous fable about a shepherd who transformed a desert into a forest. The other is the story behind the fable. Both could be called 'The Man Who Planted Trees' as both are narratives of growth and redemption, driven by the dreams of an idealist. The book became a major inspiration for the idea of tree planting as a route to reparation and the damage man has dealt out to the natural world. In 1910 while hiking through the wild lavender in a wind-swept, desolate valley in Provence, a man comes across a shepherd called Elzéard Bouffier. Staying with him, he watches the shepherd sorting and then planting hundreds of acorns as he walks through the wilderness. Ten years later, after surviving the First World War, he visits the shepherd again and sees the young forest he has created spreading slowly across the valley. Elzéard's solitary, silent work continues, and the narrator returns year after year to see the miracle he is gradually creating - a verdant, green landscape that is a testament to one man's creative instinct. Very much inspired by the landscape of the Great War and Verdun. A story of hope, survival and selflessness. Slim 44 page paperback.