The French Riviera: A Literary Guide for Travellers (French Riviera) [Hardcover]

The French Riviera is a reader s journey along this fabled coast, from Hyéres and St. Tropez in the west to the Italian border in the east, introducing the lives and work of writers who passed this way, from distinguished Nobel laureates to new authors who found their voices there. Ted Jones s encyclopaedic work covers them all. --The Riviera Times

"Thoughtful, entertaining and vivid, Jones's 'The French Riviera' sweeps us along the coast...the list of literary lovers of the Riviera almost beggars belief. It is delightful to have their eloquent, acerbic, lyrical responses collected here, in a book that deserves to become a favourite with all travellers." -Miranda Seymour, The Sunday Times "...certainly among the best of recent books on the area. Jones has done a lot of research and presents his results in a clear and lively style... The book will appeal obviously to those with literary interests but it's also designed to please those who enjoy Sunday paper-style gossip." -Patrick Middleton, The Riviera Reporter Daily Mail, 9th July 2005. Included in the Daily Mail's 'Holiday's by Book' feature under Cote d'Azur. Chosen by Victor Sebestyen: 'A vivid guide to the Cote d'Azur in the eyes of some of the greatest writers of their time.'

This is a literary tour of the French Riviera. It covers the lives and work of all the writers who found inspiration there - from Graham Greene and W. Somerset Maugham, who spent much of their lives there, to those writers whose work it dominates, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Guy de Maupassant, to those who simply lingered there. Ted Jones' encyclopaedic work covers them all, including: Louisa M. Alcott; Hans Christian Andersen; J.G. Ballard; Simone de Beauvoir; Bertholt Brecht; Albert Camus; Casanova; Bruce Chatwin; Joseph Conrad; Charles Dickens; T.S. Eliot; Andre Gide; Ernest Hemingway; Victor Hugo; James Joyce; and countless others.

After visiting the Riviera for more than 20 years, I had become fascinated by its literary heritage. (Some would say 'obsessed'.) From the avenue Edith Wharton via the boulevard Somerset Maugham to the avenue Katherine Mansfield, almost every town and village proudly displays street names and plaques commemorating its association with some past writer. Yet when I tried to find some sort of literary guide to the region, there wasn't one. So I wrote this book. I hope I've done them justice.

Ted Jones is a writer and journalist. He lives in Villefranche-sur-mer, on the Riviera.