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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In the wooded hills of Provence, a hunter with a quick wit gives the law more trouble than it expects.
Maurin roams the Maures, a landscape of cork oaks, chestnuts and pines behind the Mediterranean coast. Proud, generous and handy with a gun, he follows his own sense of fairness rather than official rules. The gendarmes keep trying to stop him, and their encounters with his cleverness bring much of the story’s comedy.
But freedom is not all that matters to this hunter. Tonia, a young woman who becomes important to him, draws him toward feelings and loyalties his roaming life has not demanded before. In Maurin of the Maures, Jean Aicard brings these tensions into a warm, talkative portrait of the country and people he loves.
What you’ll discover
- A rogue worth knowing Meet a witty, generous hunter whose sense of justice puts him at odds with officials.
- The hills come alive Follow village paths through wooded country where heat, scent and light fill the pages.
- Comedy against the law Enjoy the friction between hunting rules, determined gendarmes and a man difficult to catch.
- Freedom meets loyalty Discover how Tonia’s presence asks something different of a man used to living freely.
- Time for a story Settle into a leisurely Provençal pace, with room for talk, jokes and proud boasts.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy a rogue hero, sunny landscapes, sharp village humor, and a story where kindness and cleverness beat uniforms.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A poacher with a princely spirit
- Friendship rides straight into trouble
- Influence wears a canvas jacket
- Justice becomes a father's wish
- Command does not mean being bought
- Even capture invites another trick
- Dignity matters more than wealth
- Love asks what freedom can give
- Laughter carries a claim for justice
Who’s who
- Maurin of the MauresA lean, witty poacher and hunter who rules the Maures by charm, skill and a stubborn sense of justice, and who cannot resist a pretty face.
- Pastouré, called Parlo-SouletA usually silent giant who delivers expansive monologues when alone, and who follows Maurin everywhere out of loyal friendship.
- Antonia OrsiniA proud eighteen-year-old Corsican girl, a fair shot, promised to a gendarme but drawn to the poacher.
- Alessandri, called SandriA vain, pink-cheeked gendarme who wants his brigadier's stripes, his bride Antonia, and Maurin in handcuffs.
- Désiré CabissolA wealthy lawyer and amateur detective who loves to study people and tell tall tales about Provence.
- Monsieur RinalA retired naval surgeon and gentle revolutionary who teaches Maurin's son and shelters the hunter when the law closes in.
- Adolphe DésortyThe young Parisian prefect of the Var, who learns that friendship with a poacher can steady an election.
- Célestin GrondardA blackened charcoal burner who blames Maurin for his father's death and schemes with the gendarme to bring him down.
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Maurin of the Maures
by Jean Aicard · 1908
A poacher with a forty-pound game bag steals two gendarmes' horses to win a Corsican girl's smile.
Medium level5–10 hours to read20 languages
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“teach him justice!”
In short
What does a poacher do when two gendarmes sit down to write a report against him? He steals their horses, sends them galloping back to the inn, and returns there to play cards with his friend.
Maurin of the Maures at a glance
- Reading time
- About 7 h 10 min5 h 40 min fast, 8 h 30 min slow
- Length
- 101,800 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1908by Jean Aicard
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A poacher walks into the Campaux inn
The story opens on a cold evening at the Campaux inn, halfway between Hyères and La Môle. A tall man in canvas clothes and espadrilles comes in and leaves the door open. Inside sit woodcutters, two gendarmes, and a new forest ranger from Corsica with his daughter Antonia.
The man is Maurin of the Maures, with a curly beard, a jaw like an axe cut, and the walk of a prince. He tells the room to listen to thirty leagues of pine forest singing. He shuts the door only when Antonia says she is cold. The handsome gendarme Sandri, engaged to Antonia by her father's choice, bites back his anger.
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Details
- First published
- 1908
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Aicard, Jean. Maurin of the Maures. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/maurin-of-the-maures.
Aicard, J. (2026). Maurin of the Maures. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/maurin-of-the-maures (Original work published 1908)
Aicard, Jean. Maurin of the Maures. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/maurin-of-the-maures.
@book{aicard2026maurin,
author = {Aicard, Jean},
title = {Maurin of the Maures},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/maurin-of-the-maures},
note = {First published 1908}
}
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What is Maurin of the Maures about?
It follows Maurin, a witty hunter and poacher in the Maures mountains of Provence, as he outwits gendarmes, befriends a prefect, wins hearts, and defends ordinary people, while Corsican Tonia and silent Pastouré share his adventures.
Who is Pastouré, also called Parlo-Soulet?
Pastouré is Maurin's huge, loyal friend. His nickname means Talks-to-Himself, because he loves solitary monologues, and his gestures and speeches are among the funniest parts of the book.
What does galégeade mean?
Galégeade is Provençal mockery, the art of laughing at yourself and others by playing the fool. Maurin's tall tales are the finest example, since everyone knows he is lying and enjoys it anyway.
The author
Jean Aicard
1848–1921 · French poet and novelist
Jean Aicard was a French poet, dramatist and novelist. He was born in Toulon in 1848 and died in Paris in 1921. He wrote poetry, plays and novels during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His novel Maurin of the Maures appeared in 1908.
“teach him justice!”
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