Colette (1873-1954) was a French author known around the world and best remembered for her novella Gigi, which was the basis for the 1958 film.
All month, we're revisiting our favorite episodes. Tune in to hear the highlights of Womannicans past!
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know -- but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Leading Ladies, Activists, STEMinists, Local Legends, and many more. Encyclopedia Womannica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Encyclopedia Womannica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard and Lindsey Kratochwill. Special thanks to Shira Atkins, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, and Sundus Hassan.
We are offering free ad space on Wonder Media Network shows to organizations working towards social justice. For more information, please email Jenny at jenny@wondermedianetwork.com.
Follow Wonder Media Network:
Hello, from Wonder Media Network I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Her bold name was one of the most famous in France and is recognized worldwide. She made this name through love, passion, and the illicit. And, chiefly, she made her name for no one other than herself. Let’s welcome: Colette.
She was born Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette on January 28, 1873 in rural Burgundy. Her father, Jules-Joseph Colette, was a tax collector and politician. Her mother, Adèle Eugénie Sidonie, was the type to shock the neighbors. Her avant-garde style was a greater influence on Colette and her work.
Colette’s quaint village life ended when she married Henri Gauthier-Villars at the age of 20. Henri was a music critic and popular writer who went by the name of Willy. Together, the two moved to Paris. Henri encouraged Colette to write down the stories she told him of her school life. Henri sent them to an editor -- under his name. The resulting book, Claudine at School, was based on Colette’s bucolic youth. It was an instant success. What should have been the beginning of Colette’s prolific career, instead made Willy rich and famous. Willy milked the book’s momentum through advertising, making Colette pose as a schoolgirl for photographs and play the part of Claudine, on stage. Three other novels followed in the series, allegedly in part because Willy would lock Colette in a room and force her to write. The couple separated in 1906.
As Colette entered a new stage in her life, so did the rest of the world. In Paris, Colette found a flourishing network of underground lesbian bars and restaurants. It was in this community that Colette met her lover of six years. She was a cross-dressing noblewoman, nicknamed Missy. The two, for one night, performed at Moulin Rouge together and their kiss nearly caused a riot.
Colette tried to write under her own name but, predictably, had no immediate success. She resorted to making money in other ways. Before World War I darkened the atmosphere, cafés, cabarets, and music halls were full of performances of all kinds. Colette became a music hall dancer, living a rich life filled with material for her writing. She dedicated herself to her books while also finding work as a drama critic, political writer, fashion critic and cooking columnist.
In 1910 she published the semi-autobiographical book, The Vagabond. It’s about a woman named Renée Néré, who after a divorce becomes a dancer in music halls. It was this fresh, biting, and sensual book that marked the beginning of her new and distinctive voice.
A 1955 review wrote: “"La Vagabonde" explores, with Colette's infinite patience and precision, the beating heart of woman in an age when love is not passionate romance nor tender dream but an abiding duel.”
Colette went on to marry two more husbands, court many lovers, and write dozens of books. Perhaps her most famous work was Gigi, the stage adaptation of which made Audrey Hepburn famous.
During her lifetime she received a number of significant literary honors. In 1948, she was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
While alive, biographers and fellow writers couldn’t agree on the importance of Colette’s legacy. But since her death she has been recognized as one of the most notable French literary figures. An early champion of Colette’s work was American journalist Katherine Anne Porter. Prior to Colette’s death, Katherine called Colette in the New York Times, “the greatest living French writer of fiction;”
Colette was an animated and compulsive lover of the written word, evidenced in her grand and intimate work. Shortly before her death at the age of 81, she reflected:
“My goal has not been reached; but I am practicing. I don’t yet know when I shall succeed in learning not to write; the obsession, the obligation are half a century old. My right little finger is slightly bent; that is because the weight of my hand always rested on it as I wrote, like a kangaroo leaning back on its tail. There is a tired spirit deep inside of me that still continues its gourmet’s quest for a better word, and then for a better one still.”
Colette died on August 3, 1954. Her last days were spent among her beloved cats in her apartment overlooking Paris.
All month, we’re celebrating Pride.
For more on why we’re doing what we’re doing, check out our newsletter Womannica Weekly.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @encyclopediawomannica.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!