Chris Stewart

Chris Stewart shot to fame with Driving Over Lemons in 1999. Funny, insightful and real, the book tells the story of how he bought a peasant farm on the wrong side of the river, with its previous owner still resident. It became an international betseller, along with its sequels - A Parrot in the Pepper Tree, The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society and The Last Days of the Bus Club.

In an earlier life, Chris was the original drummer in Genesis (he played on the first album), then joined a circus, learnt how to shear sheep, went to China to write the Rough Guide, gained a pilot's license in Los Angeles, and completed a course in French cooking. His sort of prequel, Three Ways to Capsize a Boat, fills in his lost years as a yacht skipper in the Greek islands.