Born in Bayonne, New Jersey, Jules B. Farber attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, where he received a bachelor of literary letters in journalism. After graduating, he worked as a public-relations manager at Bamberger’s New Jersey, the Newark division of what is now Macy’s, Inc. He also served as a special-events officer for the United States Department of State at the American Pavilion during the Brussels World’s Fair.
Farber wrote for various American and foreign publications while a freelance journalist in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In addition to writing, he was responsible for the European marketing plan for an Italian-American textile fashion corporation in Zurich, Switzerland. He has also worked as a freelance communications manager for the Holland America Line and a graphic-design studio in New York City.
While operating a communications office for Dutch and international clients in Amsterdam, Farber wrote and published English and Dutch editions of four books. Since retiring and moving to Provence, France, he has written three more books, all published in French, English, and German. Farber is a member of the Anglo-American Group of Provence (AAGP), an organization that promotes community relations, and enjoys tennis and swimming.
Farber became interested in author and civil-rights activist James Baldwin while visiting Saint-Paul de Vence. He happened to see a picture of Baldwin in the halls of La Colombe d’Or, an iconic hotel and restaurant there. When Farber asked the waiter about the picture, he nonchalantly replied, “Jimmy is in the family here.” This exchange spurred Farber’s research into the life of Baldwin and the seventeen years he spent in Saint-Paul de Vence, the years that “saved him.”