My cousin the writer Simon Lane, who has died of cancer aged 55, was an exciting, rewarding, loving and funny man. He could even make the humdrum task of queueing in the post office a hilarious experience packed with drama.
Simon, an identical twin, was born in Solihull, West Midlands. He attended Monkton Combe school in Bath and Wimbledon School of Art in south-west London, graduating in theatre design in 1979. Then he embarked on a peripatetic life that included extended periods in Berlin, New York, Milan and Portugal, where he wrote novellas, short stories, essays and articles.
In 1988, he moved to Paris, where he was based until 2001; he worked in cinema and television, writing scripts, presenting documentaries and co-hosting a radio show while continuing to write. The Pompidou Centre in Paris held an exhibition of his limited editions, drawings and lithographs. Simon's first novel, Le Veilleur (The Vigil), was published in French in 1992. This was followed by Still-life with Books (1993), Fear (1998), Boca a Boca (Word of Mouth, published in Brazil, 2003) and Twist (2010). The Real Illusion, an anthology of 21 stories spanning nearly three decades, came out in New York in 2009.
An inveterate traveller, Simon also sojourned in Australia, Mexico, India and Iceland. In 2001, he moved to Rio de Janeiro where, apart from writing fiction, he worked as a correspondent for Global Radio News, commentating on life in Brazil.
I had the honour of being Simon's ad hoc lawyer for many years: it was challenging work, involving long hours in consultation over several restoratives. I recall a matter of some delicacy in a foreign jurisdiction involving knotty issues of French law, a dog, a broken window and an unhappy Parisian bar owner. I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of clear instructions from my client when visiting the bar to discuss the damage, but fortunately good sense prevailed.
On another occasion, I had to deal with a serious incident after a splendid lunch in London. A female friend of Simon's joined us at a nearby hotel for cocktails but unfortunately she fell foul of their rigorous dress code as she was wearing jeans. Forever the gentleman and as quick as a flash, Simon attempted to save the lady's blushes by removing his trousers and offering them to her. Sadly we did not win that argument.
Simon is survived by his partner, Betsy, his daughter, Shaida, his mother, Jane, and his brothers, Guy (his twin) and Jeremy.