Colette.

Born on January 28, 1873 in the village of Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye, Yonne, France, Colette was the daughter of Jules Colette. Her childhood in the Burgundy countryside fostered a deep connection to nature, evident in her later works like Sido. She was originally named Sidonie Gabrielle Colette.

Colette’s literary career began in 1900 with the publication of Claudine at School, the first of four novels featuring a spirited schoolgirl. The series was published under the name of her first husband, Willy, a pornographer who helped shape the books. After divorcing Willy in 1910, she performed as a mime and actress in music halls. In 1912 she married Henri de Jouvenel des Ursins, entering Parisian high society. She then began writing novels under her own name. Gigi, published in 1944, was adapted into a 1958 film. Other works include Chéri 1920 and Sido 1929.

Colette married three times. Her first husband, Willy Henry Gauthier-Villars, was a publisher who helped launch her career; they married in 1893 and divorced in 1910. In 1912, she married Henri de Jouvenel des Ursins, a journalist and diplomat; they had one daughter, Colette de Jouvenel, born July 3, 1913. That marriage ended in divorce in 1925. Her third husband, Maurice Goudeket, a jeweler, married her in 1935 and remained with her until her death. She loved cats, often keeping them as pets and even performing as a cat on stage. She had a trapeze installed in her home gymnasium to stay in shape.

Colette’s novels, especially Gigi, were adapted into a Broadway play and an Oscar-winning film in 1958. She wrote about taboo subjects like sexuality and independence. The French government awarded her the Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour posthumously. Colette was a member of the Académie Goncourt, known as Colette de l’Académie Goncourt. She remains a central figure in French literature.