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Idle In Provence
  • Published: 1 September 2026
  • ISBN: 9781529976823
  • Imprint: Ebury Press
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $36.99

Idle In Provence

A Brief History of Thyme

Formats & editions
Tr. Paperback
1 Sept 2026
Hardback
10 Oct 2026
EBook
10 Sept 2026
Audiobook
10 Sept 2026
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A hilarious and heartwarming memoir of Monty Python legend Eric Idle's fifty-year quest to build the perfect home in Provence.

'Enchanting and hilarious' Stephen Fry

In 1971, two years after the launch of Monty Python’s Flying Circus made his comedy troupe global superstars - and made all their lives a little more complicated - Eric Idle decided to buy a ramshackle property in the south of France.

In search of a simpler, quieter life, what followed was a story akin to A Year in Provence, but with more disaster, more heartbreak, more laughs - and much more spam.

A tale spanning a fifty-year quest of home-building, friendship-making and bad-French-learning, Idle in Provence is a hilarious, tender and unforgettable memoir of Eric Idle's very own escape to the country.
  • Published: 1 September 2026
  • ISBN: 9781529976823
  • Imprint: Ebury Press
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $36.99

About the author

Eric Idle

Eric Idle is a comedian, actor, author, and singer-songwriter who found immediate fame on television with the sketch-comedy show Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Following its success, the group began making films that include Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python’s Life of Brian, and Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life. Eric wrote, directed, and created The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, the world’s first-ever mockumentary, as well as the Tony Award–winning musical Spamalot. His memoir Always Look on the Bright Side of Life was a New York Times bestseller.
portrait photo of Eric Idle

Also by Eric Idle

The Spamalot Diaries
Monty Python's Flying Circus
See all

Praise for Idle In Provence

It's no surprise that Eric Idle’s account of his Provencal idyll is funny, smart and touched at times with charming celebrity appearances—what is more surprising is how much he ‘gets’ the spirit of French provincial life, and makes us share his love for its civilization without for a moment patronizing its citizens.

Adam Gopnik

Those who write about Provence usually end up with a book as twee as lavender tied up with silk ribbons. Somehow Eric Idle manages to bring the beauty, wonder and rapturous essence of the region to life while being wildly, blissfully and divinely funny. He’d better watch out, anyone who reads this enchanting and hilarious book will want to beat a path straight to his door.

Stephen Fry