Master of Light-Hearted Entertainment ---- Peter Mayle

 

The pall of poisonous darkness spread by the advent of the Corona virus has created an urgent requirement for an effective antidote to lighten and entertain locked-down hearts and minds.

One infallible antidote guaranteed to bring a spot of cheer and amusement to the emotionally down and out is the work of Peter Mayle.

Peter Mayle (1939-2018) was a Brit ad man who quit the corporate rat race after about twenty years and moved from being Creative Director to wannabe author. He wrote stuff for young people, moved to France with his wife, bought a house and settled down to write fiction. This resulted, first, in ‘A Year in Provence’. I read somewhere that the book took time to be accepted by a publisher, but when it came out it was a humongous best seller, and in multiple languages too!

The book is an absolute delight. It has relaxed wit, gentle, affectionate satire and a spare, clean narrative. People have objected to what they call typical Brit stereotyping of everything French, but the French thought it fit to make him a Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur in 2002, so the criticism is evidently uncalled for. You, of course, realize this when you start reading. The Mayles loved all things French -- French cuisine, French farmer neighbors who host delightful, interminable and heavy dinners, French country marketplaces, French postmen who have two quick drinks when delivering stuff and French floor cleaners with strong views on the quality of food in Michelin starred restaurants in the region. French bureaucracy comes in for some wry comment, but there is no vicious bite to it, though perhaps no abiding love either, and that is but natural. It is tempting to give a glimpse of some of the more amusing bits and pieces, but that would be unfair; it’s a small book and should be relished in toto.

And this is just one example of the Mayle repertoire. He has more to offer -- more memories of life in the French countryside, and surprisingly, a set of vastly entertaining thrillers. One such thriller is Chasing Cezanne -- an absolutely riveting piece of entertainment featuring art dealers, crooks, hitmen, art forgers and chefs in addition to a 'dashing photographer' as hero. The story opens in New York and moves to the south of France and then all over the place chasing, but of course, a Cezanne.

Lovers of darkness will feel the absence of unrelenting noir, but all the rest of us are
likely to be quite entranced by the fast moving and superbly entertaining story telling.

Mayle's novels are ideal medicine not only for those affected by the mental- emotional malaise characteristic of these viral times, but also for anyone looking for light entertainment, brilliantly crafted.

The memoires, in my opinion, take precedence over the rest; but the whole lot is an outstanding collection of masterful writing. The ad world' s loss was the reading world's gain when Mayle moved from Madison Avenue to Provence.

Happy reading.