A seriously humorous, comparative look at the French and English through the eyes of a split-identity 'Frenglishman'.

The product of his parents' ferociously antagonistic genes, François Théodore Thistlethwaite is a traumatized, split-identity 'Frenglishman'. Any one of his three alter egos - François, the Marxist Frenchman, his ultra-conservative English sibling, Thistlethwaite, or Théodore, their middle voice of reason - can seize control of the whole to expound their views on some of those différences which cause English and French 'physically separated by just a narrow stretch of shallow brine' to be 'vast oceans apart'. Illustrated by a variety of hilarious anecdotes based on the author's own experiences and observations during the 40 years he has managed to survive among the French, François Théodore Thistlethwaite's FRENGLISH THOUGHTS contains a host of humorous, insightful reflections on subjects such as feminism, queuing, the Puritan factor, driving in France, sporting fair play and many more - some of which are controversial enough to rock the very foundations of the Entente Cordiale.

Born in Hampshire (the old one not the new) but rightly claiming Yorkshire stock, Barry was educated at Grange Boys' Grammar School, Bradford and Reading University where he graduated in French Language and Literature. He then worked as a French schoolmaster before successfully applying to go on a year's official teacher exchange to France where he taught English in a lycée. And he never came back to England! After setting up his own English-teaching, translation and interpreting business, the next 40 years gave him the opportunity to observe many of those différences which go to cause the only similarity between French and English to be the colours of their flag. Unlike the split personage he has created, however, Barry only occasionally hears voices, and lives a relatively sane life of peaceful, retired meditation with his French companion, Renée, in the Jura region of France. Hobbies, interests and pastimes are nothing more disquieting than golf, gardening, foreign travel, the 19th century English novel, French cooking, a glass or two of good wine ... and, of course, creative writing.