10 times we've booked Paris writers on The Earful Tower

Writers in Paris are as ubiquitous as baguettes. Here are ten times that authors have shared their stories with us on The Earful Tower podcast over the years.

Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway - the list of expat writers who’ve made Paris their home and inspiration is long and illustrious. And who could blame them?

This ancient city, steeped in world history, culture and influence, has welcomed countless writers and literary stars over for generations.

From the beginning of The Earful Tower, I have spoken to numerous writers who could not help but make Paris their muse. It’s been a pleasure having many a tête-à-tète with these successful scribes over the years and hearing what makes them tick.

Fast forward to this week and I had author Cara Black on the podcast - probably the fifth time I’ve chatted with her. And it gave me a novel idea: to share some of my other favourite chats with authors - a mix of newer authors, more-established writers, young and old, American, British, Australian… Why not dog-ear some of these chats for later :) Happy listening and reading.

Oh yes, and there are probably at least 50 other authors who’ve been on my show. This list isn’t my ten favourite, or the ten best, it’s just a nice list that works well for a newsletter. Seek out the other 40+ too, they’re all great ;)

1) Stephen Clarke

A Year in the Merde put Stephen Clarke on the map and, to date, he has written seven in that successful series An early guest on the podcast, way back in 2017, Stephen shares an entertaining view of various aspects of life in Paris. We caught up again in 2020, when Stephen talked about the second World War, British spies and his book The Spy Who Inspired Me, in a fun live chat for our Patreon members. Buy that book here and listen to that episode below.

2) Cara Black

Cara Black is Parisian literary wonder, having written over twenty books about the city. Her Aimée Leduc series of twenty books has one set in every arrondissement and they reveal the authentic - and gritty - underside of Paris. Cara has been on the podcast four times chatting about her writing process, researching with the help of the Paris police and other, imaginary, murderous exploits. Our most recent conversation with Cara - this week - covered her writing style and her upcoming book, which you can preorder here. Listen to the podcast episode below.

3) David Leibovitz

David Leibovitz is an American pastry chef turned blogging legend turned cookbook author extraordinaire. What David doesn’t know about the Parisian culinary scene isn’t worth knowing. Indeed, David has appeared a few times on the show to share his top insider foodie tips and discuss his most recent book, Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Apéritifs, and Café Traditions of France. This is not only a book of cocktail recipes, but also a book about lots of different French drinks including coffee, hot chocolate, teas, mint syrups, aperitifs and more. You can buy his book here and listen to the podcast below. Find him on Substack here:

David Lebovitz

4) John Baxter

John Baxter is an Earful Tower stalwart who has generously offered us his Parisian knowledge and literary insight over the years. From writers on the French Riviera to the magic of the Left Bank, John has amassed an encyclopedic array of experiences as a successful writer in Paris. Watch below for a video chat I did with John at his home.

Find him on Substack here:

John Baxter

5) Pamela Druckerman

Pamela is an American award-winning novelist and column writer. Her books have been translated and sold around the world, including the hugely successful Bringing Up Bébé. Pamela and I met and recorded a podcast while walking through the arcades which run along the perimeter of the dazzling Place des Vosges. Our discussion covered the overwhelming beauty of Paris, Pamela’s experience of raising a child in France, as well as showcasing the unique ambient sounds of Paris. Buy her book here and listen to the podcast below.

6) David Downie

David Downie is a prolific writer who gave me an intriguingly irresistible instruction for recording our podcast - to meet him ‘in the shadow of the fig tree in the park just off Rue des Rosiers’ (this park is now one of the stops on our Marais walking tour.) During our conversation, David and I talked about his book Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light as well as the joy of walking in Paris. Find his book here and listen to the podcast below.

7) Sam Barrantes

More recently, I met up with Samuel Lopez-Barrantes to talk about being a writer in Paris, and new book The Requisitions.

I asked him: Is it really the dream to be a writer in Paris?

We had a long-ranging chat about how and where he writes, how to finance the career, and the sacrifices writers like him make. I think it made for a fresh perspective on a tale we’ve been hearing since Hemingway (and probably long before that too).

You can find Sam’s new book via his website here, you can follow him on Substack here: Samuel Lopez-Barrantes - and you can listen to our chat below.

8) Sarah Turnbull

I liked this 2022 interview for a couple reasons. Firstly: A bush turkey walked past us as we were chatting, at an outdoor cafe in Sydney. That was a first. But second: I’ve been a fan of Sarah’s ever since I read Almost French many, many years ago, long before I ever thought of moving to Paris. How lovely to have the chance to talk to her 20 years after the book was published. Listen below.

9) Edward Chisholm

Edward Chisholm’s debut novel “A Waiter in Paris” took the world by storm. I met him for lunch at the grand Belle Époque brasserie Bofinger to discuss the book, waiting in Paris, and the myths about working in French restaurants.

10) Oliver Gee

Come on, you didn’t think I could write about all these authors without throwing my name in the ring? And there’s some news on that front: I’m happy to announce that we just made a big new order of our four children’s books. It’ll be the sixth print run of Kylie the Crocodile - which is insane. Thanks to all who’ve bought it in the past! They’ll be in all the good Paris bookshops soon, and some of the best museums too. Or grab them from our online shop here.

The Italy corner

New episode alert! Let’s turn our attention to our new “The Earful Everywhere” channel, where I’m currently taking you through Italy.

Today I released the story of my visit to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel when they were pretty much completely empty. Look at that picture below - that’s the Map Corridor I was obsessed with in the episode.

Grab un caffè and have a listen! (And then book a tour in Rome for the full experience). This season of The Earful Everywhere is proudly brought to you by LivTours, who made it possible for us to share these travel stories with you.

Next week I’ll share about ten secrets about Rome that I collected from people I met there: taxi drivers, journalists, tour guides, and even one from myself.

New episodes will be out every Friday on The Earful Everywhere. Please follow it on Instagram here, Spotify here, and/or iTunes here. It’s free to follow, and it’ll help me grow this new project into the future.

That’ll do for me, have a lovely weekend

Oliver