Peter Mayle

Wherenext
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edited January 2018 in Congratulations, Good Wishes & Kind Thoughts #1

I see the author of "A Year in Provence" and others has passed away.

We were never ones to go visiting the exact spot he was writing about as it could have been almost anywhere in small town Provence but I do remember deriving a lot of enjoyment from the books as it was at a time when France was still quite new to us and we were having a great time discovering all of things that seemed to make small town France tick. 

He captured it beautifully.

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  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176
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    edited January 2018 #2

    Yes he did, they were the "great escape" books that appealed to lots of us at the time, very readable without having to go through it! 

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,367
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    edited January 2018 #3

    We śpent a wonderful 2 weeks in Mayle country (Bonnieux) back in the day. He certainly brought the Provence to the attention of a lot of us. He actually got a better write up in the French local press, than in ours. The B in L sent me this from the Vaucluse daily newspaper.

  • DSB
    DSB Club Member, Member Moderator Posts: 5,862
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    edited January 2018 #4

    I still watch the BBC production of 'A Year In Provence' with John Thaw and Lindsey Duncan.  It brings the Provence countryside into our living room.  Thank you Peter and RIP.

    David 

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 14,062
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    edited January 2018 #5

    I attended one of his book signing in London. There he was signing our books with a cool glass of white wine on the table. I expect he inspired more people to fall in love with France than any other of our generation. He did Desert Island Discs many years ago which is still available on iPlayer and it gives a bit of background to when he started writing.

    David

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant, Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 8,295
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    edited January 2018 #6

    RIP. I loved reading his books. Very gentle escapism. Nice to learn about other places too.

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Club Member Posts: 10,224
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    edited January 2018 #7

    There was an obituary in Saturday's Times.

  • milliehull
    milliehull Forum Participant, Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 4,809
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    edited January 2018 #8

    I loved his books, especially to read whilst on holiday in France. I also loved the TV programme.  RIP.

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