You know sometimes you get asked the question “If you could invite anyone to dinner, living or dead, who would it be?”. Well top of my list would have to be the French writer Colette. Or, to give her her full title Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. She dispensed with her first name as a schoolgirl as she wanted to be known by her surname “comme des garcons”.
My attention has been drawn to this femme fatale as one of her novels has just been made into a film and is to be released shortly. Cheri is the story of a spolied and beautiful boy who has an affair with a retired courtesan (played by Michelle Pfeiffer) who pampers and dominates him. Colette herself outraged society when she had an affair with her 16 year old stepson when she was 47.
She married three times, the first to a Parisian 14 years her senior, whose constant philandering led to a divorce. It was while she was married to him she began her writing and her books were published under his name. When they split up she caused a scandal by embarking on a stage career, which at that time was equivalent to entering a brothel. She also began a five year relationship with a rich lesbian transvestite known as Missy. There was a riot when they performed together at the Moulin Rouge and they kissed. Even more shocking was that she beared her naked breast on stage! She was very beautiful and took endless lovers of both sexes until she met her second husband.
Unfortunately, he was just as promiscuous as her first. He was called up during the First World War and she joined him as a war reporter and volunteered as a nurse. She was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour for her work. Despite her affair with her stepson, she still loved him dearly, although they eventually separated.
When she was approaching 50, she was so distressed at the prospect of ageing that she had a brutal facelift but was still incredibly beautiful - so much so that she was photographed for Vogue.
She met her third husband when she was 52 and he was 35. They lived through the Depression and the Second World War then she began suffering with arthritis and was soon in a wheelchair. She was cared for by her husband until her death in 1954. She had written more than 50 novels. Three years before she died, she attended a premiere of the documentary of her life and at the end she was heard marvelling “What a beautiful life I’ve had. I only wished I’d realised it sooner”. She was given a state funeral, which was highly unusual for a woman at that time.
Now who would I seat next to her at the table? Who would your dinner guests be?