Peter Mayle (born June 14, 1939 in Brighton) was a British author famous for his series of books detailing life in Provence, France. He spent fifteen years in the advertising industry before leaving the business in 1975 to write educational books, including a series on sex education for children and young people. His 1989 book A Year in Provence became an international bestseller; it chronicled a year in his life as a British expatriate in Ménerbes, a village in the southern département Vaucluse.
His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. He writes for magazines and newspapers. A Year in Provence was produced as a TV series starring John Thaw and screened in 1993. His novel A Good Year was the basis for the 2006 film of the same name directed by Ridley Scott and starring actors Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard.
British Book Awards named A Year in Provence Best Travel Book of the Year (1989), and Mayle was named Author of the Year (1992). The French government made him a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor) in 2002, for coopération et francophonie.
After A Year in Provence, Mayle wrote a number of other books, both nonfiction and fiction, including French Lessons: Adventures With Knife, Fork and Corkscrew (2001), Provence A-Z (2006), and a series of crime novels.
Mayle lived in Provence, France his death in January 2018 aged 78.
Peter Mayle's website
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