The Provencal Tales

In 1959, De Larrabeiti (then a young guy out to discover and experience; now, to judge by the book jacket, very much the Renaissance man) accompanied traditional French shepherds on their week-long, annual trek from the winter grazing on Riviera meadows to mountain pastures in the Alpes de Provence. The book is a gorgeous, insightful combo of regional history and traditions, the shepherd's life, the journey itself over an astonishing terrain, De Larrabeiti's physical toughening and mastering of century-old skills... But, most of all, the ancient stories and legends he heard... Night after night around the campfire, each man telling his favorite as a bottle of brandy passed from hand to hand. We're not talking tepid fairy tales here. Rather seiges, irony, betrayal, tragedy, acts of faith, Saracen raids, hand-to-hand combat and fatal love. Last but not least, De Larrabeiti writes really stylish prose. Can't wait to read the rest of his stuff.