French Author. The only son of a cobbler and a laundress, he was forced to quit school at 16 to support his family. He continued to self educate by reading voraciously and studying the classics, French prose and American writers. World War I interrupted both his job and his studies. Participating at the battle of Verdun would mould this 19 year old into a pacifist. Returning home after the war, he resumed his job, married and later would have two children. He began writing and in 1921 his poem "Sous le Pied Chaud du Soleil" was published. For “Colline” his first novel, he was awarded the “Prix Brentano” in 1929. This encouraged him to leave his job and concentrate on writing full time. He added two more novels in the next year and the three together became known as the Pan trilogy since Greek god Pan’s effect on nature is the theme. Novels that followed concentrated primarily on pastoral settings. In 1931, with the publication of “Le grand troupeau,” he related the shock and horror of war that cemented his lifelong pacifism. This was followed by another trilogy, “Le Chant du Monde.” His pacifism did not go unnoticed and he was briefly imprisoned as a Nazi sympathizer. After the war, he was again accused of collaboration and jailed for five months without charges before he was freed. During the three years he was blacklisted, he began work on “Angelo.” He revised his writing style to reflect narratives set in a specific time frame and adopted the use of interior monologues for his characters. Published in 1947, “Un roe sans divertissement” was made into a film as was “Le Hussard sur le toit” which expanded on the character Angelo and “Les Ames fortes” in 1950. Given his love of nature, it is appropriate that, for many, his most recognized work is “The Man Who Planted Trees.” Contrary to American editors request for a real unforgettable character, Giono created a fictional one. The film version took five years to produce with over five thousand hand made drawings. It has been dubbed into multiple languages. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. During his lifetime, he was awarded the Prix Bretano, the Prix de Monaco, the Légion d’Honneur, and he was a member of the Académie Goncourt. His prodigious output included stories, essays, plays and poetry, film scripts over thirty novels. He remained tied to Manosque where he died from a heart attack.