Colette (Critical Lives)

French novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873–1954) was a strikingly modern celebrity. The most photographed author of the twentieth century, her marketing genius stretched from hair products themed after her most famous character to her own line of cosmetics. Beloved during her lifetime by critics on both the left and the right, and later embraced by feminists of the 1960s and ’70s, Colette’s works explored women’s lives, from schooling to careers, maternity, ageing and sexuality. Colette’s life was no less varied than her often self-referential works, including affairs with men and women, three marriages, a stage career and roles as a journalist and literary editor. Kathleen Antonioli explores Colette’s storied life, work, private correspondence and carefully crafted public persona.