Peter Mayle
Peter Mayle
Peter Mayleis a British author famous for his series of books detailing life in Provence, France...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionAuthor
Date of Birth14 June 1939
taken years feelings
The day when a Frenchman switches from the formality of vous to the familiarity of tu is a day to be taken seriously. It is an unmistakable signal that he has decided - after weeks or months or sometimes years - that he likes you. It would be chulish and unfriendly of you not to return the compliment. And so, just when you are at last feeling comfortable with vous and all the plurals that go with it, you are thrust headlong in to the singular world of tu.
school thinking years
I left school at 16 and skipped university to work, initially as a waiter. I think I missed out on what would have been great years.
book years funny-things
The funny thing in France is that writers are not allowed to retire, because the French government say you are still earning money from books you wrote 20 years ago.
bank call deal great manager money months strangle threaten three
When I was very young in London, I had a bank account, which didn't have a great deal in it. I should think at least every three months the bank manager would call me up and threaten to strangle me because I had no money, and I was writing checks.
cut electricity france irritated life people south
In the south of France the phones cut in and out, the electricity isn't particularly reliable. I think many people would get very irritated with that life.
people
It's very nice to meet the people who read my books.
believer great people
I am a great believer in people taking control of their own lives.
There are plenty of miserable millionaires all over the place.
helps robust
I have a robust sense of humour which helps me deal with problems.
buy
I don't have a boss. Well, I have a boss: the public. If the public doesn't buy my books, I would be out of a job.
bit forget life works
One must never forget that life is unfair. But sometimes, with a bit of luck, this works in your favour.
coming cooler earth gardening heat hot meet night smell taking walk
There is nothing I like better at the end of a hot summer's day than taking a short walk around the garden. You can smell the heat coming up from the earth to meet the cooler night air.
days gave hot school spend taste
I was lucky enough to spend some of my school days in Barbados, where my father was working, and this gave me a taste for hot weather.
call dearly love resist
I would dearly love to resist the temptation, if you can call it that, to worry. It's boring, it's anti-social, it's unproductive and it's depressing.