Proust Questionnaire 33: Cécile David-Weill, Novelist

Summary

Cécile David-Weill is a French American author who is born and based in New York. She published her first novel Crush (Grove Press, 1997) under the name of Cécile de la Baume. Her next two novels are wickedly funny comedies of manners set in glamorous French locales.

The first, Femme de… ( in French, Grasset), follows three senior executives and their wives on a weekend corporate retreat in a luxurious hotel off season in La Baule, a beach resort in West of France, and offers a satirical take on both professional ambition and married life.

The Suitors (Other Press, 2012), which takes place in a grand country house in the South of France, provides a wry, irreverent insiders’ look at French high society.

In 2014, Cécile David-Weill published Chroniques de New York (in French, Grasset), a hilarious collection of tips for surviving in the Big Apple, gathered from her regular contribution to the French news magazine Le Point. Her most recent work is Parents under the Influence, Words of Wisdom from a Former Bad Mother (Other Press, January 2020).

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City.

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Uli Baer and Caroline Weber

Ulrich Baer is University Professor at New York University where he teaches literature and photography, and writes frequently about photography, art, literature, and other subjects. He is also the host of the podcast “Think About It” and editorial director at Warbler Press. Twitter: @UliBaer; Intragram. Caroline Weber is a specialist of French literature, history, and culture. She is Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York City. Twitter: @CorklinedRoom. Instagram.

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