Peter Mayle

British writer Peter Mayle is not only the author of Toujours Provence but he is also the book's main character. Mayle and his wife left London to relocate to the Provence region of France, which is in the southern part of that country. In this, his second book about the region, he tells of his experiences in becoming familiar with and adapting to the customs that are specific to Provence and to France in general, and of the interesting and sometimes eccentric characters that he meets along the way.

Mayle is a writer and he often shows the keen sense of an observer in episodes that he will later transfer to the written word. He is bemused by the French and their love, or more correctly, their passion for food and drink. He must endure barbs from Frenchmen who are vocal and condescending in their views of...