Return to Provence

Author: Peter Mayle
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Since its inception, Provence has cautiously guarded its secrets until the arrival of the British Peter Mayle. Only then did the long-standing veil of Provence's unique way of life gradually lift. Several years ago, as a senior executive at an advertising company on Madison Avenue, Peter Mayle grew weary of the hustle and bustle of the office and the superficiality of city life. He bid farewell to the foggy, long, and gloomy London with his wife and beloved dog, settling into the sunny and azure skies of Provence in the south of France. There, Mayle purchased an old house, diligently learned French, said goodbye to everything in the past, and began to live a leisurely life, while also embarking on his writing career. A Year in Provence, Always Provence, Back in Provence. Every book he wrote about Provence stayed at the top of the New York Times bestseller list. Time magazine praised him, saying, "Peter Mayle's vivid and realistic descriptions make you taste the exquisite food and wine, feel the sunshine and breeze while reading." This book won the British Book Awards "Best Travel Book of the Year" award and was listed on the bestseller lists of Publishers Weekly and the New York Times. It was also highly recommended by the British magazine Good Book Guide. Time magazine praised him again, saying, "Peter Mayle's vivid and realistic descriptions make you taste the exquisite food and wine, feel the sunshine and breeze while reading." Meanwhile, the New York Times book review described these books as "charming, interesting, and highly appreciable!" Escape the city, enjoy the laziness, and become a thief of time in Provence! Every vacation is like going on official business—dressed in various packages, covering the entire European continent in five days like a flock of chased ducks, rushing through the scenery. Perhaps only Provence—the only place in the world where you can have a great time without doing anything—can make me pause and hesitate. Here, time is not revered, and the moment has a unique meaning.