François Théodore Thistlethwaite's Frenglish Thoughts

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.