Un roi sans divertissement di Jean Giono: una discesa agli inferi sulle montagne dell'Isère

It is well known, and widely discussed in critical literature, that in Jean Giono's fiction, the Alpine landscape serves not as a mere backdrop, but as a character and driving force in the social ecosystem of the rural mountain worlds. Un Roi sans divertissement, a novel published in 1947, reveals a different, unexpected aspect of Giono. In this novel written in the form of chronicle, the natural and social ecosystem of the Alps seems to be dominated by a universal evil. The solemn, imposing mountain, with its frightening grandeur, leads to madness, and recalls the fascination of death. In the plot, the mountain landscape is chosen as a frame for a story, and as a symbol of the human condition, emptiness, the absurdity of life, and existential boredom, despite its eternal beauty and apparent peace.