From music hall dancer to celebrated French novelist.
Colette was the penname of the French novelist best known for writing Gigi, upon which the film and stage musical was based. Celebrated for her beautifully observed literary style, Colette wove intimate details of her own life and loves into her work. She was frequently the subject of scandal, having numerous affairs - including one with a transvestite lesbian, and another with her second husband’s son. She also spent years as a music hall dancer. Early critics dismissed her concerns as trivial, but she has since been reclaimed as a radical feminist writer whose novels offer a witty critique of gender difference, and insight into what it means to live in a woman’s body. Jane is joined by Diana Holmes, who has written a book on Colette, and the author Michèle Roberts.
Colette’s novel Chéri is this week’s Woman’s Hour drama.
