French language
Published March 25, 1992
Un roi sans divertissement (lit. "a king without distraction"), published in English as A King Alone, is a 1947 novel by the French writer Jean Giono. The narrative is set between 1843 and 1848 in the French Prealps and follows a police officer who discovers unpleasant truths about himself during a murder investigation. It was the first book by Giono to be published after World War II and marks the beginning of a new phase in the author's oeuvre. The book was the basis for the 1963 film A King Without Distraction, directed by François Leterrier from a screenplay by Giono.