The Collected Stories of Colette, edited by Robert Phelps
A quick review of a collection of short stories seems fitting. Spoiler: I only scratched the surface of this 600 page collection. I see it as a refreshing dip into Colette’s intimate, detailed and uniquely lovely look at life and love. Thirty-one of the 100 little tales appear in this volume translated into English for the first time.
The Colette, Sidonie–Gabrielle Colette keeps company with other talented artists who have no need for a second name. Think Austen, Hemingway, Moliere.
I was enchanted and entertained by these richly simple vignettes. Just consider some of the titles, ‘Cheri’, “The Pearls,’ ‘My Goddaughter’, ‘The Saleswoman’, ‘In the Boudoir’, ‘What Must We Look Like?’, ‘Sleepless Nights’
Colette masterfully employs a rare writing style of Dialogues for One Voice. Seven little gems of conversation written and revealed to the reader through only one side. Par exemple from ‘My Goddaughter’.
"Is it you who's calling me, Godmother? I'm here, under the stairs." "...?" "No, Godmother, I'm not sulking." "...?" "No, Godmother, I'm not crying anymore. I'm done now. But I'm very discouraged." "...?" "Oh, its always the same thing, for a change. I'm mad at Mama. And she's mad at me, too." "...?" "Why 'naturally'? No, not 'naturally' at all! There are times when she's mad without me being mad back -it depends on if she's right." "...!"
This dialogue style makes the brain work differently, but when it is so naturally written it takes little effort to understand the unwritten voice in the conversation.
Colette is perhaps most famous for authoring ‘Gigi and the Cat‘, which served as the inspiration for Lerner & Loewe’s musical adaptation of another singular named work, ‘Gigi‘. With an all French cast, the film feels authentic to the author’s vision and to the era. It is a warm and colorful romp through Paris following the many intricacies of love, love affairs and the stages of love through the eyes of the old and the very young.
à la prochaine.
Thanks, I’ll have to look her up! Sounds like a good read.