Dear Steemians!
It is with great pleasure that I share one of my favourite stories, "The Man Who Planted Trees" by Jean Giono.
It's a short story about, surprise surprise, a man who plants trees. However the sheer natural wonderment goes far beyond such a simple act: the man brought life back into the world where there was none before in an era with much killing and destruction (WWI-WWII). Elzeard Bouffier is a kind and patient soul that inspires with the knowledge that through dedication positive change can come and embed itself into the world. Although disconnected from the social milieu, Bouffier reminds us of what is truly important and what we need to protect in order to enable the conditions for the rest of society and community to exist.
I wish with all my heart that this story were made into a feature film with all the trimmings. The soundscape should remain unchanged and the text's quality should be distilled into visual form and not watered down. Although there have been many versions of this I would like to see a newer production that retains the essence of the original words.
"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. If this performance is devoid of all egoism, if its guiding motive is unparalleled generosity, if it is absolutely certain that there is no thought of recompense and that, in addition, it has left its visible mark upon the earth, then there can be no mistake." Jean Giono.
Listen to the audio book (Hearts of Space produced a version of this that I cannot find online but if you're a HOS fan check it out):
Read the text:
http://www.idph.com.br/conteudos/ebooks/the_man_who_planted_trees.pdf
Educational resource for teachers:
http://www.tpac.org/education/PDF/Guidebooks/GB-10TheManWhoPlantedTrees.pdf
"When I reflect that one man, armed only with his own physical and moral resources, was able to cause this land of Canaan to spring from the wasteland, I am convinced that in spite of everything, humanity is admirable. But when I compute the unfailing greatness of spirit and the tenacity of benevolence that it must have taken to achieve this result, I am taken with an immense respect for that old and unlearned peasant who was able to complete a work worthy of God." Jean Giono.
Thanks for reading!
If you know any lesser known literary gems please share them below :)