Linda Dannenberg

It was a memorable year spent working in Paris at an haute-couture fabric house after graduating from Connecticut College that instilled in me a life-long passion for France, and determined my eventual career path. I returned to the United States and moved to New York, beginning my professional media career at CBS News, working as a researcher in the network’s News Library. I later worked as a feature writer and Books Editor at Family Circle Magazine, and then moved on to Working Woman as the magazine’s founding Features Editor. The jobs were wonderful and fulfilling, but the Lorelei call of France finally proved impossible to resist.

Leaving New York behind, at least for a while, I moved to France to author my first book, The Paris Way of Beauty, published by Simon & Schuster. More than a dozen books followed. Among my book titles are the iconic quartet of Pierre Deux French Country books, including Pierre Deux’s French Country, Pierre Deux’s Brittany, and Paris Country; French Country Kitchens; New French Country; Paris Bistro Cooking, Paris Boulangerie-Pātisserie (nominated for a Julia Child Cookbook of the Year award); and Ducasse: Flavors of France (co-authored with Alain Ducasse and nominated for a James Beard Award and winner of the Versailles International Cookbook award).

Among my pet projects is the much-loved FRENCH COUNTRY DIARY, an iconic weekly engagement calendar showcasing French style, design, and poetic art de vivre. Beautifully produced by Abrams Books, and containing a wealth of design and travel information, the Diary attracts a world-wide audience; fans collect each edition year after year, lining their bookshelves with the vibrant, fabric-patterned slipcases. These days, The Diary, which celebrates its 28th anniversay with the 2016 edition, is used as much for decorating ideas and planning French travel itineraries as it is for recording important dates throughout the year.

My magazine and newspaper articles on design, travel and cuisine have appeared in many publications, including Town & Country, The Los Angeles Times, Travel & Leisure, House Beautiful, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, The New York Times and Departures. I have lectured on French style and design at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum; the Katonah Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Design Center.