From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Peter Mayle (born 14 June 1939 in Brighton) was a British author famous for his series of books detailing life in Provence, France. He spent fifteen years in the advertising industry before leaving the business in 1975 to write educational books, including a series on sex education for children and young people. His 1989 book A Year in Provence became an international bestseller; it chronicled a year in his life as a British expatriate in Ménerbes, a village in the southern département Vaucluse. His books have been translated to more than twenty languages. He writes for magazines and newspapers. A Year in Provence was produced as a TV series starring John Thaw and screened in 1993. His 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. Peter Mayle lives in Lourmarin, situated in Luberon, in Provence, France. British Book Awards named A Year in Provence Best Travel Book of the Year (1989) and him Author of the Year (1992). The French government made him a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor) in 2002, for coopération et francophonie. Description above from the Wikipedia article Peter Mayle, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia