An American journalist based in Paris since 1986, David Downie has
written about European culture, food and travel for magazines and
newspapers worldwide. He was a Paris correspondent for Salon.com,
Departures, Appellation, and Art & Antiques, and has contributed to
epicurious.com, concierge.com and many other websites. Currently he
is a European correspondent for Gadling.com, the popular literary
travel site.
The author of a dozen works of nonfiction and fiction, Downie's
writing has also appeared in many anthologies, among them The
Collected Traveler Paris, Southwest France and Central Italy;
Salon.com's Wanderlust; Travelers' Tales- Adventures in Wine
Country; By The Seat of My Pants; and A Moveable Feast. Please
visit David Downie's website www.davidddownie.com
“Like the guide who leads us through The Hermitage and its history
in Sokurov’s 'Russian Ark’, David Downie is the master of educated
curiosity. With him we discover Paris, a seemingly public
city that is, in fact, full of secrets—great lives, lives
wasted on the bizarre; forgotten artisans; lost graves (lost till
now); the ‘papillons nocturnes’; and the ‘poinçonneur des Lilas’. I
have walked some of the city’s streets with him, and reading this
book is just as tactile an experience.” —Michael Ondaatje
“… beautifully written and refreshingly original…Curious and
attentive to detail, Downie is appreciative yet unflinching in
describing his adopted home… makes us see [Paris] in a different
light….”—David Armstrong, San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
“The delightful and insightful essays in Paris, Paris meld history,
atmosphere and observations on Paris places, Paris people and Paris
phenomena.”—John Marshall, Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Chicago
Tribune
“Downie is a saunterer, wandering down the narrow ancient streets
of the Île de la Cité, picnicking in storied graveyards like
Père-Lachaise, observing a seduction at Jardin du Luxembourg with a
birder's patience…. captures the sort of people and places missed
by those jetting from starred bistros to hotels with showers.”—Dan
Rubin, The Philadelphia Inquirer
“…gives fresh poetic insight into the city… a voyage into ‘the
bends and recesses, the jagged edges, the secret interiors’ [of
Paris].”—Dory Kornfeld, Departures
“David Downie’s prose illuminates Paris with an unequaled poignancy
and passion. He understands and evokes the soul and the substance
of the city with a critic’s intelligence and a lover’s heart. He
makes me want to live in Paris again.”—Don George, Contributing
Editor, National Geographic Traveler
“Perhaps the most evocative American book about Paris since A
Moveable Feast.”— Jan Morris
“[A] quirky, personal, independent view of the city, its history
and its people. Residents will recognize a place they can vouch for
and not the clichés so frequently conjured up to match the legends.
Visitors and newcomers are bound to find Paris, Paris reliable
company as they discover the city’s beauties and pleasures and its
problems too.”—Mavis Gallant
“Downie brilliantly upholds the American expat tradition of
portraying the City of Light with an original and endearing
touch.”—John Flinn, Travel Editor, San Francisco Sunday
Chronicle
“If there is one book I’d read before heading to the City of Light,
Paris, Paris is it. Downie, a longtime Paris resident and roamer,
writes with knowledge and verve, pinning down the funny and the
sublime as he captures on his canvas the quirks, foibles and
follies, and the peculiar mystery of the people and places, that
make up this wonderful city.” —Harriet Welty-Rochefort, author of
French Toast and French Fried
“All visitors to Paris who want their eyes opened and their
knowledge widened should buy David Downie’s irresistible collection
of Paris essays. Take the book with you on walks and be astonished
at his sense of detail and place; read it in bed or over a glass of
wine in a café, and be introduced to a Paris few know. The text is
immaculately complemented by Alison Harris’ beautiful and evocative
photographs.”—Anton Gill, author of Il Gigante and Peggy
Guggenheim, a biography
"I loved his collection of essays and anyone who’s visited Paris in
the past, or plans to visit in the future, will be equally charmed
as well.”--David Lebovitz, author of The Sweet Life in
Paris
“When good Americans die, Oscar Wilde wrote, they go to Paris.
Don’t wait that long. David Downie’s new book reflects the city and
its light with such power that its title says it twice. Paris,
Paris shimmers with wit and mesmerizes with wisdom. With splendid
photographs by Alison Harris, it is as the French would say un
must.” —Mort Rosenblum
“[Downie’s] is not a superficial examination of Paris but rather a
deep understanding and appreciation for all that is quirky, unique
or enchanting about the city…those everyday folk who bring Paris to
life…One of the most entertaining and interesting books written
about Paris that we have found.” – Diane Ohanian,
FranceOnYourOwn.com
"Paris, Paris, presents the places, people, and phenomena of
the city with unequaled intelligence and passion [...] an
enchanting valentine to an ageless love."--Don George, Trip Lit for
NationalGeographic.com
“Compelling... a rapturous, history-rich love poem”--Pauline
Frommer, Toronto Star
"Suitable for serious Francophiles and curious spectators alike,
this book paints Paris from a delightful, fresh perspective."
--Andrea Rappaprt, Sacramento Book Review
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