Confessions of an English Alcalde: A Cautionary Tale

Confessions of an English Alcalde: a Cautionary Tale is a compelling and richly entertaining account of life, with both its joys and complications, in a small village set deep among the olive groves of Andalucía. It sets the dream of rural bliss against the demanding and sometimes harsh reality of adjusting to values and a way of being which may well take the British immigrant by surprise. But above all it celebrates the warmth and generosity of the welcome which awaits those who throw themselves enthusiastically into Spanish life.

The text has been richly illustrated by Eduardo Arturo Boltares.

Peter Such was born and grew up in Norfolk and studied Modern and Medieval Languages at the University of Cambridge, where he completed a doctorate in 1978. He spent most of his professional career at Sherborne School in Dorset: he was Head of Modern Languages for 32 years and subsequently was Director of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Sherborne School and Sherborne School for Girls. In 2011 he retired to Andalusia with his wife Sylvia. He continues to work as a translator and, with Sylvia, he has played an active part in the life of the local community. Since 2017 he has been mayor of his village. Peter has continued to carry out research into medieval Spanish literature and history and he has published translations of four medieval Spanish texts, most recently the fourteenth-century Chronicle of King Pedro.

The Mexican-American artist Eduardo Arturo Boltares has been passionate about drawing since childhood. Apart from using graphite to illustrate, he also specialises in oil painting, through which he seeks to investigate his fascination with the human experience.