With all of the hype over the release of Secrets of the Flesh, the latest biography of Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, I thought I would read some of the works that made her so famous. Short Novels of Colette contains six of her stories, including the two Cheri novels, and The Indulgent Husband, a collaborative work by Colette and her own husband, Henry Gauthier-Villars, known as Willy.
The 50-page introduction by Glenway Wescott gives quite a thorough biography of Colette, her years spent as a ghostwriter for her widely published husband, and after she strikes out to become a literary figure in her own right. However, the introduction devotes too much time to analyses of each of the novels, giving away plot and resolutions, and basically taking away any chance of an element of surprise. If you have this particular edition, I suggest reading the stories before reading the introduction. In addition, Wescott spends a bit too much time name-dropping, and trying to impress us with stories of "the last time I spoke with Colette..."
As for the novels, because most of them were written for her husband's "pulp-romance" series, they do tend to be overwrought and melodramatic. There are no truly stable romantic relationships portrayed by Colette, but she does a fabulous job exploring the role of obsession in a lover. Whether the story ends in tragedy or not, there is always a final resolution that only plays itself out in the last page or two of the novel. The climax truly is the climax, and there is no literary equivalent of a cigarette and reflection afterwards. The obsessed always realizes the source of his or her obsession and either gets over it, or escapes via suicide.
To me, the most amusing of the stories is The Cat, which examines the jealousy a new bride has toward her husband's long-owned and much spoiled cat. Mind you, the cat has human qualities and resentments of its own. But, the bride can't help but feel second-fiddle as she sees the attention and affection so apparent between her husband and his beloved Saha.
The Indulgent Husband is the only one of the novels in this collection to openly portray a lesbian affair, a subject that contributed to the controversy and hype surrounding the openly bisexual Colette. The affair, which occurs between two married women, is aided in part by the one's "indulgent husband" who wants so desperately to see his young wife happy, that he will do anything, even this, to please her. The surprising end to the story makes you see just how sympathetic a character the husband truly is, and redeems what could otherwise become a cliché finale.
Colette's prose often flirts with the poetic, managing to pull the reader into the minds of the lovers. Her literary prowess, as much as the story of her own life, has served to make Colette an important writer - one that everyone should be able to say they've read.
