Jean Giono (1895-1970), the only son of a cobbler and a laundress, was one of France's greatest writers. He was a pacifist, and he was imprisoned in France for his beliefs during the Second World War. He wrote over thirty novels, scores of short stories, plays, poetry, essays, and filmscripts. Giono won the Prix de Monaco (for the most outstanding collected work by a French writer) among other awards.