The iconic French singer comes to life in this enthralling biography written by Australian author Carolyn Burke, who captures Edith Piaf’s immense charisma along with the time and place that gave rise to her unprecedented international career. Burke’s previous biographes include “Lee Miller: A Life” and “Becoming Modern: The Life of Mina Loy.”
Raised by turns in a brothel, a circus caravan, and a working-class Paris neighborhood, Piaf began singing on the city’s streets, where she was discovered by a Champs-Elysées cabaret owner. She became a star almost overnight, seducing Paris’s elite and the people of its slums in equal measure with her powerful, passionate voice. Continue reading “Edith Piaf… “No Regrets””
Spending time in Paris is like being in the biggest and best sweetie shop in the world. You want to try that, that, oh! And that! With so much to do, the dilemma is where to start. Of course there’s the über tourist stuff like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, yawn, but don’t you get the feeling that you’re missing out? That a secret world of chic Parisian life is passing you by?
Historian and author David McCullough’s new book revisits the adventurous American artists, writers, doctors, politicians and architects who set off for Paris in the years between 1830 and 1900 to see what France could teach them. McCullough, who has been called a “master of the art of narrative history, is a two time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for “Truman” and “John Adams.” 
Paris Revealed is the latest literary offering from long time fan of Paris and prolific author, Stephen Clarke. The cover promises to ‘reveal Paris’ and this wonderfully informative book more than amply delivers. Full of fascinating insights into Parisan life and the city of Paris itself, it succeeds at being compelling reading for anyone who loves the “Ville-Lumière.” 
Woody Allen is not alone in loving Paris. The city is the most visited capital in the world. Its many monuments dotting the cityscape are always a feast for the eyes. Now a new book including short descriptve text in English with color photographs by Chicurel and Pascal Ducept portrays the splendors of the city of light from the Notre-Dame de Paris to the Louvre to lesser know jewels such as the Hotel de Sens with seldom seen views. “Paris Monuments,” published by Parigramme selling for only 19 euros, is one of the best new Paris picture books to come along in awhile. 
Helen Constantine’s “Paris Metro Tales” offers 22 remarkable short stories set throughout Paris—all connected by the underground tunnels of its famed Metro. The journey begins at the Gare du Nord, stops at 20 underground stations along the way, and ends at Lamarck-Caulaincourt, each story corresponding to one of the 20 arrondissements of Paris. 
Since 1997 John Lichfield, The Independent’s correspondent in France, has been sending dispatches back to the newspaper in London. More than transient news stories, the popular Our Man in Paris’ series consists of essays on all things French. Sometimes serious, at other times light-hearted, they offer varied vignettes of life in the hexagone and trace the author’s evolving relationship with his adopted country. 
Think Paris, think pâtisserie. Few visitors can resist the buttery crumbs of a croissant, the sweet tang of strawberry tart or the sugary puff of a chouquette. But of all the treats lining the pâtisserie wall, the macaron is the fairest of them all. Said to have been the preferred treat of Louis XIV, this brightly-coloured morsel still inspires reverence in the court of Paris foodies. It matters little whether you swoon for Ladurée’s offerings on the Champs Elysées or prefer Pierre Hermé’s creations south of the Seine; once you’ve tasted a good macaron a pleasant addiction is only a matter of time. 
These poems are like polaroid pictures depicting my favorite Paris neighborhood, Saint-Germain-des-Pres,” says the young French author Nicholas Grenier describing his new book of Tanka-style poetry titled “Quant à Saint-Germain-des-Pres, trente et un tanka sur la main d’apres.” Grenier’s approach to Tanka poetry both honors Japanese tradition and takes it in some new directions. While employing the classic 31 syllable 5-7-5-7-7 Tanka structure he departs from tradition by using urban images instead of pastoral ones creating colorful impressions of the Left Bank district. “When I am out walking around Paris my feet take me to Saint-Germain-des-Pres,” says Grenier, “It’s my Paris reference point. I write about things I observe there from the Café de Flore to Monoprix. It’s a new, modern kind of Tanka.”