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The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono
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The Man Who Planted Trees (original 1953; edition 1995)

by Jean Giono (Author), Harry Brockway (Illustrator), Richard Mabey (Introduction), Barbara Bray (Translator)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,793459,446 (4.09)55
Twenty years ago Chelsea Green published the first trade edition of The Man Who Planted Trees, a timeless eco-fable about what one person can do to restore the earth. The hero of the story, Elzéard Bouffier, spent his life planting one hundred acorns a day in a desolate, barren section of Provence in the south of France. The result was a total transformation of the landscape-from one devoid of life, with miserable, contentious inhabitants, to one filled with the scent of flowers, the songs of birds, and fresh, flowing water. Since our first publication, the book has sold over a quarter of a million copies and inspired countless numbers of people around the world to take action and plant trees. On National Arbor Day, April 29, 2005, Chelsea Green released a special twentieth anniversary edition with a new foreword by Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the African Green Belt Movement.… (more)
Member:parmaviolet
Title:The Man Who Planted Trees
Authors:Jean Giono (Author)
Other authors:Harry Brockway (Illustrator), Richard Mabey (Introduction), Barbara Bray (Translator)
Info:Harvill Press (1995), Edition: New Ed, 56 pages
Collections:Read but unowned
Rating:
Tags:fiction, French fiction, read in 2018

Work Information

The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono (1953)

  1. 10
    The Mountain That Loved a Bird by Alice McLerran (Book2Dragon)
    Book2Dragon: Both of these books took my breath away in their depth and layered meanings. You will find Giono's book perhaps more adult, and McLerran's for all ages, but both are much needed for the world today.
  2. 00
    Unbowed: A Memoir by Wangari Maathai (bertilak)
  3. 00
    Planetwalker by John Francis Ph.D. (weeksj10)
  4. 00
    The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino (weeksj10)
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» See also 55 mentions

English (28)  Italian (4)  Swedish (3)  Catalan (3)  Spanish (2)  French (1)  Czech (1)  Finnish (1)  All languages (43)
Showing 1-5 of 28 (next | show all)
Un relato inspirador y motivador ( )
  keplerhc | Jan 22, 2024 |
What a hopeful and encouraging story this is. It is about the difference that one person can make and how one positive action can release a chain reaction of ….Set from 1913 to 1949, it spans two world wars and, at a time when man is involved in so much destruction, here is a man who is building something.

When you remembered that all this had sprung from the hands and the soul of this one man, without technical resources, you understood that humans could be as effectual as God in other realms than that of destruction.

His efforts restore the forest, but that is the first step only...what happens after is that nature takes over and begins to replenish all the good things that have been lost. With the blossoming of nature, comes the restoration of the villages and the men.

Hunters, climbing into the wilderness in pursuit of hares or wild boar, had of course noticed the sudden growth of little trees, but had attributed it to some natural caprice of the earth. That is why no one meddled with Elzeard Bouffier’s work. If he had been detected he would have had opposition. He was indetectable. Who in the villages or in the administration could have dreamed of such perseverance in a magnificent generosity?

Seems sad, but accurate, to me that had he been “detected” he would have been stopped. It also seemed sad to me that he would never be appreciated or credited with what he had done. But, then, he did not do it for that reason. He was not seeking praise, he was seeking to restore the land, and he had done everything he set out, without any fanfare, to do.
( )
  mattorsara | Aug 11, 2022 |
A beautiful little parable with a peculiar publishing history that makes it 100% better. ( )
  invisiblecityzen | Mar 13, 2022 |
A beautiful little parable with a peculiar publishing history that makes it 100% better. ( )
  invisiblecityzen | Mar 13, 2022 |
A memory from the past. I haven't read the book, but I remember the story from Robert J. Lurtsema's reading it on WGBH (PR in Boston, Mass.) before he passed on in 2000.

It's a beautiful story of what man can do at his best.

Wanting to hear the story again, I found a video of Robert J. Lurtsema's reading is at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbZekwOpZ7Q
( )
  LGCullens | Jun 1, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 28 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (64 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Jean Gionoprimary authorall editionscalculated
Aumüller, UliÜbersetzersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Back, FrédéricIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Bray, BarbaraTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Brockway, HarryIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Giono, AlineAfterwordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Glasauer, WilliIllustrationssecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Goodrich, Norma LorreAfterwordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Mabey, RichardForewordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
McCurdy, MichaelIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ó Neill, Eoinsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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For a human character to reveal truly exceptional qualities, one must have the good fortune to be able to observe its performance over many years.
Afterword: I mustered enough courage to call upon Jean Giono in Manosque, Provence, at 11:00 A.M., August 15, 1970.
Quotations
You know, Giono said to me, there are also times in life when a person has to rush off in pursuit of hopefulness. [p. 51]
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Twenty years ago Chelsea Green published the first trade edition of The Man Who Planted Trees, a timeless eco-fable about what one person can do to restore the earth. The hero of the story, Elzéard Bouffier, spent his life planting one hundred acorns a day in a desolate, barren section of Provence in the south of France. The result was a total transformation of the landscape-from one devoid of life, with miserable, contentious inhabitants, to one filled with the scent of flowers, the songs of birds, and fresh, flowing water. Since our first publication, the book has sold over a quarter of a million copies and inspired countless numbers of people around the world to take action and plant trees. On National Arbor Day, April 29, 2005, Chelsea Green released a special twentieth anniversary edition with a new foreword by Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the African Green Belt Movement.

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