Cécile Balavoine

Cécile Balavoine is a novelist, literary scholar, and journalist who teaches French literature at Columbia University’s Reid Hall, the historic academic center founded by Elisabeth Mills Reid, an American woman devoted to intellectual life in Paris.

Cécile’s literary works explore themes of personal discovery, memory, and the nuances of human relationships, while her passion for music and art often informs her writing. As a journalist, she has written for leading cultural and travel magazines, exploring how literature and the arts shape our understanding of the world.

Cécile brings the city’s literary women to life—not just on the page, but in the very places they wrote, gathered, and debated.