''Blue Boy'' () is a 1932 novel by French writer

Jean Giono Jean Giono (30 March 1895 – 8 October 1970) was a French writer who wrote works of fiction mostly set in the Provence region of France. First period Jean Giono was born to a family of modest means, his father a cobbler of Piedmontese descent a ...

. It tells the story of a family in

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

, with an ironer mother and a shoemaker father. The book is largely autobiographical and based on Giono's childhood, although it has many fictional anecdotes. An English translation by Katherine A. Clarke was published in 1946.

Adaptations

The novel was the basis for

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (, also ; ; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the . Pagnol is generally regarded as one of France's ...

's 1938 film '' The Baker's Wife''. The film stars

Raimu Jules Auguste Muraire (18 December 1883 – 20 September 1946), whose stage name was Raimu, was a French actor. He is most famous for playing César in the 'Marseilles trilogy' ('' Marius'', '' Fanny'' and '' César''). Life and career Born in T ...

Ginette Leclerc Ginette Leclerc (born Geneviève Lucie Menut; February 9, 1912 – January 2, 1992) was a French film actress. She appeared in nearly 90 films between 1932 and 1978. Her last TV appearance was in 1981. She was born in Ile-de-France, France and ...

and

Charles Blavette Charles Blavette (24 June 1902 – 21 November 1967) was a French film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1933 and 1966. Selected filmography * ''Jofroi'' (1934) – Antoine * '' Angèle'' (1934) – Tonin * ''Toni'' (1935) – Antonio ...

. Pagnol's film was in turn adapted into the American musical '' The Baker's Wife'', which premiered in 1976. It was also the basis for the 2010 television film ''La Femme du boulanger'', directed by Dominique Thiel.

References

{{Jean Giono 1932 French novels French autobiographical novels French novels adapted into films French-language novels Novels set in Provence Novels by Jean Giono Éditions Grasset books