If you are a fan of his wonderful A Year in Provence then this is a perfect extension to your pleasure. In his witty and infectious style he takes us into everything that fascinates, intrigues or amuses him about his adopted country from food to history, trivia to art.
Organised from A-Z but far from a conventional work of reference, this is a selection of those aspects of Provence that Peter Mayle has found in his twenty years there to be the most interesting, delicious or downright fun. In more than 200 entries – from ail to Francois Zola – he writes about subjects as diverse as architecture, expatriates, lavender, linguistic oddities, the museum of the corkscrew and a bawdy folklore character named Fanny. And, of course, he writes about food and drink: truffles, olives, bouillabaisse, and the cheese that killed a Roman Emperor. He also features artwork that he has gathered over the years – drawings, advertisements, photos and pieces from tourist brochures. Anything qualifies, as long as it has piqued Mayle’s curiosity – hence the inclusion of a recipe for tapenade and a morning spent with a public executioner.
"Now we are due a second dose of Mayle fever" Sunday Times
"Peter Mayle has something Provencale about him…he turns any anecdote into an extraordinary story." Le Figaro
"Splendidly amusing... filled with things which will help you to understand, at least in part, the glory of this wonderful place" Daily Telegraph (of Peter's book Toujours Provence)
Author
About Peter Mayle
Peter Mayle spent fifteen years in the advertising business, first as a copywriter and then as a reluctant executive, before escaping Madison Avenue to write books on Provence, all of which were bestsellers. he died in January 2018, aged 78.
