The Man Who Planted Trees (Short Story)
The man who planted trees (also: The man with the trees ; French title: L'homme qui plantait des arbres ) is a short story by the French author Jean Giono from 1953. In Germany it was published by Sanssouci Verlag .
The story takes place in the first half of the 20th century and is about the protracted but successful efforts of a shepherd to reforest a barren mountain area in Provence.
action
The story is told from the perspective of a man who in 1910 (then 22 years old) went on a hike alone through the barren mountains of Provence (France).
While looking for water that he had run out of, he happened to meet a 55-year-old shepherd. He gives him something to drink and lets him spend the night in his hut. Curious about what led this man to lead such a lonely life, the young man stayed with him for a few days. Elzéard Bouffier, the shepherd's name, decided to lead a life of solitude after losing his wife and son. When he realized that the whole area would die for lack of trees, he decided to do something about it and has been sowing trees ever since.
After the First World War, for which he was drafted, the narrator undertook a hike in the area again out of a need for fresh air and met the shepherd again, who continued to go about his tree-planting activity undeterred. The narrator visits Elzéard Bouffier several times over the years and can experience the growth of the forest and the change in the landscape that goes with it: There is water in the well again and people are returning to the formerly abandoned villages. Bouffier has been planting trees for four decades, changing his occupation in between and becoming a beekeeper because the sheep endanger his plantations. The forest is also endangered by people who do not know anything about Bouffier's work. But this is too remote for the plantings to be seriously damaged.
historicity
The story is so moving that many readers believe that Elzéard Bouffier is a real historical figure, that the narrator is the young Jean Giono himself and that the story is therefore part of his life. This could be indicated by the fact that the action period falls within Jean Giono's lifetime. He also enjoyed people's belief in a historical reality of history and attributed that effect to his literary ability. Aline Giono, his daughter, described the story as "a family story for a long time". However, Giono himself wrote in 1957 in a letter to the water and forestry officer of the city of Digne:
- “ I am sad to disappoint you, but Elzéard Bouffier is a made-up person. The goal was to foster the love of trees, or more precisely, to spark the love of planting trees (which has always been one of my most expensive ideas). "
In this letter he also states that the story has been translated into many languages, some of which have been distributed free of charge and that is precisely why it is a success. He notes that he did not earn a “centime” on this text and that it was one of the texts he was most proud of.
filming
The story was adapted as a cartoon in 1987, also under the title The Man Who Planted Trees .
expenditure
- Jean Giono: The man who planted trees , in: Federico Hindermann (Ed.): "I'll tell you, beloved trees ...". Texts from world literature . Manesse, Zurich 1984, ISBN 3-7175-1672-8 .
- Jean Giono: The man with the trees , with drawings by Max Hegetschweiler. Flamberg, Zurich 1981, ISBN 3-290-11949-1 .
- Jerry Beck (Ed.): The 50 Greatest Cartoons. As Selected by 1000 Animation Professionals . JG Press / Layla, North Dighton 1998, ISBN 1-57215-271-0 .
- Jean Giono & Wolfgang Flad: The man who planted trees , newly illustrated by Wolfgang Flad. Van der Grinten Galerie & TREEZ, ISBN 978-3-86206-539-4 .
literature
- Jochen Schilk: The re-greening of the world. 50 tales of planting trees. Drachen Verlag, Klein Jasedow 2019, ISBN 978-3-947296-07-1 , pp. 14-16.
