AMAZON NO 1 BESTSELLER (TRAVEL) FOR
'PARIS: A GUIDE TO THE CITY'S CREATIVE HEART'
'PARIS: A GUIDE TO THE CITY'S CREATIVE HEART'
ABBREVIATED BIO
Janelle McCulloch has worked as a journalist and book editor in London, a magazine editor on several design and lifestyle titles in Australia, a columnist for a Melbourne magazine, a regular freelance writer for publications such as Vogue Living magazine and Sunday Life in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers, and a senior editor for an international book publisher. She is the author of 20 books, including a bestselling memoir (her first book), four bestselling books about Paris, 15 successful books about architecture, travel, style and design, and one not-so-successful novel.
Her work has been featured or profiled in US Vogue, Australian Vogue, Elle, Veranda magazine, ABC radio, Qantas magazine, the Financial Review newspaper, The Australian newspaper (front page), Gourmet Traveller magazine, the Herald Sun, and many other sites. Interview and profiles have included former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, author Bill Bryson, Craig Newmark of Craigslist, designer Massimo Vignelli, Neil Finn (Crowded House), Heather Small (M People), Clive James, A A Gill, Jan Morris, and many others over the decades.
A LONGER RAMBLE FROM JANELLE
I was born in Australia, to parents and grandparents who loved adventure and passed down the Travel Gene. (My other grandparents were farmers; they passed on the Frugal Gene, which has also been useful.) My grandmother could talk to anyone; she had the gift of conversation. My father’s skill was logistics. As a mathematician, he loved the lines of cartography, but he also loved the romance of maps. To him, they spoke of unknown lands; places of the imagination. He and my mother were extraordinary adventurers: for 40 years they travelled through war zones, tornados and many, many dubious hotels to reach the ends of the earth—including Patagonia, Alaska, the Arctic Circle, and the Amazon. They were detained by troops in tanks on two occasions, chased down an Iowa road by a tornado, and almost died on Lake Titicaca in Peru.
I, on the other hand, am a ‘soft’ traveler who tends to do ‘the milk run’ of London, Paris, New York, mostly for work. Hardship for me is no Internet connection and a hotel room with no bath. I’ve been through a hurricane in the Bahamas, but that’s it. Seeing a cluster of military tanks turn their guns on me, as my parents did, would make me wish for a weak cup of tea.
My parents were both teachers, and our house was always full of newspapers and books. (Always borrowed from the library; see above regarding the Frugal Gene). That’s probably why I became a journalist and an author. There is a lovely Italian saying: Leggere, leggere, leggere, viaggi, viaggi, viaggi, which roughly translates as: read, read, read, travel, travel, travel. It’s a great philosophy for our family, and also for life.
I have spent much of my adult life split between Europe and Australia. After living in Scandinavia as a teenager in 1986, I returned to Australia to finish a university degree, then moved back to Europe again for many years to work as a book editor and then a journalist for a travel magazine. My first attempt at a book, a memoir, was born of this connection with England and France. New York is another great love. It's a beautiful and curious place, full of energy and quiet delights in equal measure. But it’s important to get off the beaten track too, and so my partner and I have been trying to see far-flung UNESCO destinations. One year, we took three flights and a two-hour bus to reach Borobodur, which was lost to the jungle for years before being discovered in 1814 by Sir Stamford Raffles. We were the only Westerners there. It was a privilege to experience it.
Recently, my sister-in-law told me she hated autobiographies: “They’re all just me, me, me!”, she said. But I’d rather read a biography or non-fiction book over a novel. Hearing people’s life stories enriches our own lives, I think. And if we can learn how others navigated the potholes of life, we can apply their experiences and lessons to our own bumpy journeys. Plus, it’s lovely hearing people’s stories. The Australian Indigenous people believe that it’s imperative to keep the stories of our ancestors and our lands alive because if we lose these stories, they say, we lose our souls. I hope we all continue to tell stories. My father was a great storyteller, and that’s how I’ll remember him; for his laugh and his joy and his brilliant descriptions of memorable destinations. I hope that, like the Australian Aborigines, all our ancestor’s narratives live on in our memories and lives.
CHERISHED BOOK: All our first editions, especially by Cecil Beaton, one of the hardest-working and most productive writers and artists of the 20th century. When he died, he said: I wish I had achieved more in my life. How humble.
FAVOURITE STORY: The story of the Lost Garden of Heligan in Cornwall, and the 22 gardeners who all went off to war. The owner was so bereft by their deaths that he moved to Italy, causing the once-grand estate and garden to become so overgrown that it was lost to the world for decades. It was only discovered when a music producer noticed a secret door in a wall. Some believe the ghosts of the gardeners are still there, tending to the flower beds. It’s a great story of love, loss, gardening, and life.
CURRENT BOOK PROJECT: A biography of Lady Joan Lindsay, the author of Picnic at Hanging Rock, which is due to be published by Hardie Grant in late 2016. It has been a true labour of love. But it was a joy to write.
FAVOURITE PLACE: Lake Como, Italy
FAVOURITE COLOUR: Snowdon Blue, which came about because Lord Snowdon used to photograph his subjects in cornflower blue when he realized the colour calmed them in front of a camera. It's a particularly beautiful shade of blue.
PET HATE: Cynicism and nastiness of any kind. If people used that energy for other things, they could be so productive and creative -- and probably happier too. The older I get the more I realize how important it is to be generous, courteous and kind.
PETS AND PARTNER: A Jack Russell, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and a wonderful man. Who hates books but fortunately loves to travel.
BLOG: http://janellemccullochlibraryofdesign.blogspot.com.au
INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/janellemcculloch_author
Please click on each book cover to enlarge to full size
REVIEWS
"Vogue loves every single property featured in Slow Coasting, by Janelle McCulloch, a lush, coffee-table tome filled with deeply desirable destinations..."
Vogue Australia
"Like a tuxedo or a little black dress, black and white never loses its impact. (In her new book Design in Black and White), Janelle McCulloch showcases modern updates inside sophisticated homes and hotels, from Paris to London."
Veranda Magazine
"Take a stroll through the real Paris with Janelle McCulloch's beautifully photographed and gorgeously packaged new book. Visually rich and totally inspiring, Paris is a treasure for lovers of art, style, design and food."
Anthropologie
"Vogue loves every single property featured in Slow Coasting, by Janelle McCulloch, a lush, coffee-table tome filled with deeply desirable destinations..."
Vogue Australia
"Like a tuxedo or a little black dress, black and white never loses its impact. (In her new book Design in Black and White), Janelle McCulloch showcases modern updates inside sophisticated homes and hotels, from Paris to London."
Veranda Magazine
"Take a stroll through the real Paris with Janelle McCulloch's beautifully photographed and gorgeously packaged new book. Visually rich and totally inspiring, Paris is a treasure for lovers of art, style, design and food."
Anthropologie
