One of a series of Cultural Bridgebuilding articles by Rene Wadlow.

Jean Giono was born and died in Manosque, a town in the mountains above Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. Although he lived all his life in Manosque (except for his military service in World War I) he was a bridge builder to the world of the spirit of the classic Greek gods.  He is often considered a regionalist writer, but, in fact, he uses the background of the region to deal with broader, cosmic issues.