(Sidonie Gabrielle) Colette

born 1873, died 1954

The multi-talented French writer Colette is perhaps best remembered for her
novel Gigi (1944), but she also was an actress, wrote drama and criticism, 
and as a journalist reported on fashion, the law, theatre, and just about
everything else.  When she was twenty, her first husband, Henri
Gauthier-Villars, forced her to write several books which were published
under his name.  She divorced Gauthier-Villars, and in 1904 Dialogues
des Betes was published, the first under her maiden name. From 1910-1922,
she worked as a correspondent for the newspaper Le Matin. It was during
this time that she gained her reputation as a writer with extraordinary
insight, sensitivity, and sensuality. Her other works include:
The Vagabond (1912), Cheri (1929), and The Last of Cheri (1932).
She was also awarded the honor of Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour.