The Man Who Planted Trees

There are two important autobiographical elements surrounding “The Man Who Planted Trees.” The first relates to the story’s genesis. In 1953, having already enjoyed great success as a writer in his native France, Giono was approached by the US magazine Reader’s Digest to write a nonfiction work of feature journalism under the prompt, “The Most Extraordinary Character I Ever Met.” Rather than approach the assignment as a journalist, Giono chose to write about a fictional character named Elzéard Bouffier who embodied the themes of hope, humanity, and ecological stewardship that the author wanted to convey with the piece. Yet he failed to tell Reader’s Digest his submission was a work of fiction. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on one’s perspective—the magazine rigorously fact-checked the work and angrily rejected the piece, calling Giono a “cheat” (vi), according to the Foreword to the 2015 Vintage edition of “The Man Who Planted Trees.”

A reader may attribute this gambit to mere pranksterism on Giono’s part. Other readers may believe that the author’s disingenuousness in presenting Bouffier as real undercuts the story’s effectiveness. Yet the author’s sanguine attitude toward letting people believe Bouffier is a real person reflects his intent in writing the story.