Fanny Deschamps (1920–2000)

Fanny Deschamps, née Chapel, was born in Chalon-sur-Saône, in Burgundy, France to a long line of artisans. She worked like her mother in the textile industry until a serious mountain accident at age 39 left her immobilized for several weeks. She then decided to change careers and turned to journalism. She was a senior reporter for the women's magazine Elle, the weeklies Le Point and Le Nouvel Observateur, and the daily newspaper France-soir. In 1971, she undertook a major investigation into pollution and the environment which she published in book form as Vous n'allez pas avaler ça! (You Are Not Going to Swallow That!), denouncing "the enormous power held by polluters." In 1974, she published Journal d’une assistante sociale (Journal of a Social Worker (1974).

She then became a popular historical novelist, specializing in the 18th century. In 1982, her two-volume novel La Bougainvillée, inspired by real events, became a bestseller and was translated into 10 languages. She also wrote books on the theater and cooking, included Monsieur Folies-Bergère (1978) and Croque-en-bouche (1980). Her last novel, Pauline de sa jeunesse, was published in 1998.