Gionos book describes the effect of the First World War on a small community in Provence in chilling detail. In some of the most fiercely realistic and horrifying scenes of war ever recreated in literature, Giono evokes the harsh, primitive conditions in the trenches, as well as the loneliness and anxiety experienced by those left at home. Gionos cult bestseller The Man Who Planted Trees has sold more than 50,000 copies, and has been filmed, as well as featuring on BBC Radio 4 and being adapted for stage.