Linda Dannenberg is the author of fourteen books focusing on French lifestyle and design. A former Books Editor and Feature Writer at Family Circle and Working Woman,she writes for many national publications, including Town & Country, Travel & Leisure, The Wine Spectator, and The Los Angeles Times. Fluent in French, she has translated five non-fiction books, including There Are Still Kings (Crown), the stories of Europe's ten surviving monarchies.
Follow Linda on Instagram @ frenchcountrydiary
A post-grad year working in Paris at a couture textiles firm inspired my life-long passion for France, and determined my eventual career path. I fell in love with bistros, with the cafés on every corner, with the galleries on the rue de Seine, and with the aroma of Gauloises in the air. When my Gallic year was over, I moved to New York, beginning my professional media career at CBS News where I worked as a researcher in the network's News Library.
I later signed on as a feature writer and Books Editor at Family Circle magazine, a truly wonderful experience for a young editor under the supportive and encouraging leadership of visionary Editor-in-Chief Arthur Hettich.I left after five and a half years for an alluring opportunity with a trend-setting start-up, joining Working Woman as the magazine's founding Features Editor. The jobs were amazing and fulfilling, but eventually the Lorelei call of France, and a book contract, proved impossible to resist.
I returned to France to author my first book, The Paris Way of Beauty, published by Simon & Schuster. More than a dozen books followed. Among my other French-inspired titles are the quartet of iconic 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-Pâtisserie (nominated for a Julia Child Cookbook of the Year award, and cited by Forbes Magazine in 2020 as one of "The Best Cookbooks of All Time"; and Ducasse: Flavors of France (nominated for a James Beard Award and winner of the Versailles International Cookbook award).
Among my current projects is the much-loved FRENCH COUNTRY DIARY. Prized as an annual album of contemporary French style, the Diary is a weekly engagement calendar showcasing sumptuous interior design, lush gardens, extraordinary landscapes, and poetic art de vivre.
The 2022 edition celebrates the Diary's 34th anniversary. Beautifully produced by Abrams Books, and containing a wealth of decorating 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. The Diary, filled with travel, dining and design tips, is used as much for decorating ideas and planning French travel itineraries as it is for recording important dates throughout the year.
My articles on cuisine, design, and travel 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 speak as well as write about my passions, and have lectured on French style and design at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum; the Katonah Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Design Center.