Seeking Provence

‘Like Tuscany, Provence has been trampled over by too many writers in recent years. But Nicholas Woodsworth, a former Africa correspondent for the Financial Times and a Provençal by marriage, looks as though he could break the curse of Mayle.’ 
New York Times

‘Let us be clear what this book is not. It is not a guidebook. [Woodsworth’s] travels are idiosyncratic and entertaining, his observations always diverting and frequently inspired. Woodsworth is a witty, erudite and extraordinarily stimulating companion. I enjoyed his quest more than I have enjoyed any other book on Provence since I re-read James Pope-Hennessy’s Aspects of Provence. Believe me, that’s saying something.’ 
Daily Telegraph 

A region steeped in fable and myth, Provence is a cultural crossroads of European history. After marrying into a Provençal family, Nicholas Woodsworth made the region his home. Here he lovingly records every facet of life in Provence and provides a refreshing antidote to the rosé-tinted and romantic view of Provence as a permanently sunny destination for tourists. The real Provençaux have always lived a hard life close to the land and the rhythms of the seasons. It is in the revelation of these elemental lives that the truths of the real Provence are to be found.

NICHOLAS WOODSWORTH was born in Ottawa, Canada in 1953 and grew up in Africa and South-East Asia. He was Africa Correspondent for the Financial Times in the late 1980s, and served as the FT Weekend’s staff travel writer from 1990 to 2003. He is the author of The Liquid Continent and Crossing Jerusalem.