The Horseman on the Roof

Perhaps no other of Giono's novels exemplifies his mastery of balancing lyricism with narrative, description with characterization, and the epic with the particular, more effectively than "The Horseman on the Roof." Written over a period from 1934 and published in 1951, this novel enhanced Giono's status as one of Europe's preeminent authors.

"The Horseman on the Roof" is an adventure novel, a roman courtois, that narrates the journey of Angelo, a nobleman who, having been exiled from Italy due to a duel, is making his way back home through Provence. However, the region is ravaged by a cholera epidemic, with travelers being confined behind barricades and the threat of infection being nearly inevitable.

Amidst this sweltering, hallucinatory setting filled with corpses, criminals, and chaotic townsfolk, Angelo's exploits, adventures, and acts of heroic self-sacrifice unfold, enriching this epic narrative.