Peter Mayle











(born 14 June 1939 in Brighton) is a British author famous for his series of books detailing life in Provence, France.

Contents  [hide]
1 Early life
2 Advertising career
3 The Author
4 Awards
5 Bibliography
6 References and notes
7 External links
Early life[edit]
Born in Brighton, historically in Sussex, the youngest of three children, Mayle and his family moved to Barbados after the war, where his father was transferred as a Foreign Office employee. Peter returned to England after leaving school at 16.

Advertising career[edit]
His first job in 1957 was as a trainee at Shell Oil, based in their London office. It was there that he discovered that he was more interested in advertising than oil and he wrote to David Ogilvy, the head of the advertising agency that had the Shell account at that time, asking for a job. Ogilvy offered him a job as a junior account executive but Mayle's interest was more on the creative side of the business and he subsequently became a copywriter in 1961 based in their New York office. In due course another agency, Papert Koenig, Lois, poached him from Ogilvy and sent him back to London to head up the creative team in their UK office, where one of his colleagues was Alan Parker. When the US parent hit trouble in the mid-60s he and a colleague bought the London operation. They developed the business with accounts that included Watneys, Olivetti and Sony and after 5 years, they were bought by BBDO, one of the top American agencies. He then commuted between the US and the UK as their creative director. By 1974 he'd had enough of advertising and transatlantic commuting and quit the business to write full-time.

The Author[edit]
He started off by writing educational books, including a series on sex education for children and young people. Subsequently he relocated from Devon to France in the late 80s but his plans to write a novel were overtaken by an account of life in his new environment. This resulted in his 1989 book A Year in Provence which became an international bestseller, chronicling his first year as a British expatriate in Ménerbes, a village in the southern département Vaucluse. Several more books followed, which have been translated in more than twenty languages. He also wrote for magazines and newspapers. A Year in Provence was subsequently produced as a TV series starring John Thaw and screened in 1993. A 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.

After relocating to The Hamptons in New York state, to get away from fans and sightseers at his home in Provence,[2] he subsequently returned to France and now lives in Lourmarin, also situated in the Luberon, in Provence.

Awards[edit]
British Book Awards named A Year in Provence Best Travel Book of the Year (1989)[1] and him Author of the Year (1992).[citation needed] The French government made him a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor) in 2002, for coopération et francophonie.[3]

Bibliography[edit]
Where Did I Come From? The Facts of Life without Any Nonsense and with Illustrations, illustrated by Arthur Robins and Paul Walter, Carol Publishing Group (Secaucus, NJ), 1973.
What's Happening to Me? The Answers to Some of the World's Most Embarrassing Questions, illustrated by Arthur Robins and Paul Walter, Carol Publishing Group (Secaucus, NJ), 1975.
Will I Go to Heaven?, Corwin, 1976.
"Will I Like It?" Your First Sexual Experience, What to Expect, What to Avoid, and How Both of You Can Get the Most out of It, photographs by John Thornton, Corwin, 1977.
How to Be a Pregnant Father: An Illustrated Survival Guide for the First-time Father, illustrated by Arthur Robins, Lyle Stuart, Inc. (Secaucus, NJ), 1977.
Baby Taming, illustrated by Arthur Robins, Crown (New York, NY), 1978.
(With Paul Rice) As Dead as a Dodo, illustrated by Shawn Rice, David Godine (Boston, MA), 1981.
(With Arthur Robins) Congratulations! You're Not Pregnant: An Illustrated Guide to Birth Control, Macmillan Publishers (New York, NY), 1981.
(With Arthur Robins) Grown-ups and Other Problems: Help for Small People in a Big World, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1982.
The Honeymoon Book, illustrated by Gray Jolliffe, Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 1983.
Chilly Billy, illustrated by Arthur Robins, Crown (New York, NY), 1983.
Man's Best Friend: Introducing Wicked Willie in the Title Role, illustrated by Gray Jolliffe, Crown (New York, NY), 1984.
Anything but Rover--the Art and Science of Naming Your Dog: A Breed by Breed Guide, Including Mongrels, illustrated by Arthur Robins, A. Barker, 1985.
Sweet Dreams and Monsters: A Beginner's Guide to Dreams and Nightmares and Things That Go Bump under the Bed, illustrated by Arthur Robins, Crown (New York, NY), 1986.
Wicked Willie's Guide to Women: A Worm's-Eye View of the Fair Sex, illustrated by Gray Jolliffe, Pan Books (London, England), 1986, Crown (New York, NY), 1987.
Wicked Willie's Guide to Women: The Further Adventures of Man's Best Friend, illustrated by Gray Jolliffe, Crown (New York, NY), 1988.
A Year in Provence, Hamish Hamilton (London, England), 1989, published with illustrations by Judith Clancy, Alfred A. Knopf (New York, NY), 1990.
Divorce Can Happen to the Nicest People, illustrated by Arthur Robins, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1979, revised edition published as Why Are We Getting a Divorce?, Crown (New York, NY), 1988.
(With Raffaella Fletcher) Dangerous Candy: A True Drug Story by Someone Who Did Them and Kicked Them, Sinclair-Stevenson (London, England), 1990, published as Dangerous Candy: A True Story about Drug Addiction, Trafalgar Square Publishing (Pomfret, Vermont), 1991.
Toujours Provence, Knopf (New York, NY), 1991.
Acquired Tastes: A Beginner's Guide to Serious Pleasures, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 1992.
Up the Agency: The Funny Business of Advertising, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1993.
Hotel Pastis: A Novel of Provence, Knopf (New York, NY), 1993.
Provence, photographs by Jason Hawkes, Random House (New York, NY), 1994.
A Dog's Life, with Ed Koren, Knopf (New York, NY), 1995.
Anything Considered, Knopf (New York, NY), 1996.
Chasing Cézanne, Knopf (New York, NY), 1997.
Where Did I Come From? The Facts of Life without Any Nonsense and with Illustrations, illustrated by Arthur Robins and Paul Walter; African-American edition published with illustrations adapted by Zina Saunders, Carol Publishing Group (Secaucus, NJ), 1999.
Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France, Knopf (New York, NY), 1999.
French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew, Knopf (New York, NY), 2001.
A Good Year, Knopf (New York, NY), 2004.
(With Gerard Auzet) Confessions of a French Baker: Breadmaking Secrets, Tips, and Recipes, Knopf (New York, NY), 2005.
Provence A-Z, Knopf (New York, NY), 2006.
The Vintage Caper, Knopf (New York, NY), 2009
The Marseille Caper, Knopf (New York, NY) 2012
The Corsican Caper, Knopf (New York, NY), 2014
Provence in Ten Easy Lessons, Random House, 2014 – adapted from Provence A–Z: A Francophile's Essential Handbook




Walking round the estate Christie, who has some knowledge of viticulture, finds the stony patch and recognizes its potential and the care lavished on the vines there. In the village Max meets Fanny Chenal, the restaurant owner, who is attracted to him. Max and Christie are invited to dinner with Roussel, and Max is surprised at the opulence of Roussel's home, in contrast to his usual shabby appearance.

The oenologue arrives, none other than Fitzgerald, who gives a damning assessment of the vines, even those on the stony patch. Christie is unconvinced, and suspicious of him, and later suggests a second opinion.

At this Roussel becomes worried and takes Max to the wine cave, where he confesses; the vines on the stony patch are an unofficial cross-bred planting of his own, yielding an excellent but illegal wine. Unsure of what to do with it, and fearing official sanction, Roussel had consulted the notary, who had arranged a buyer. For the last eight years Roussel had been selling the entire vintage, which was collected in secret at dead of night by unmarked truck, in exchange for E 100,000 per consignment.

Max remembers a wine label he had seen at Nathalie's house, and Charlie is able to identify it as Le Coin Perdu, sold by one JM Fitzgerald. Max realizes the oenologue inspection had been a ruse, arranged by Nathalie to allay his suspicions, and they travel to Bordeaux to investigate. Charlie, masquerading as a client, is able to get a sample bottle of Le Coin Perdu and Roussel confirms it is his wine. However, when they return to confront Fitzgerald, they are met by the police.



On their return they find Nathalie has disappeared; seeking Roussel and Max on a matter she had become suspicious and warned Fitzgerald, and they had fled with their winnings.

At the village fete, Max and Fanny become enamoured with each other, while Charlie and Christie are already in love. Christie tells Max she has no interest in pursuing a claim to Le Griffon and resumes her travels, ending up in London with Charlie. Max settles into the role of a wine producer, planning improvements with Roussel. They realize the police at Fitzgerald’s place were part of the scam, and no-one knows of their connection with Le Coin Perdu.

The story ends with a party thrown by Max and Fanny, to celebrate the completion of a good year.