Colette

Table of Contents

Introduction Quotes References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

For Students

Colette summary

Read Next

poem. A poet in a Heian period kimono writes Japanese poetry during the Kamo Kyokusui No En Ancient Festival at Jonan-gu shrine on April 29, 2013 in Kyoto, Japan. Festival of Kyokusui-no Utage orignated in 1,182, party Heian era (794-1192).

World Poetry Day

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Britannica’s Book Bingo

10 Captivating Contemporary Novels Set in the British Isles

9 American Countercultural Books

Discover

After a perfect launch, spectators try to catch a last glimpse of Space Shuttle Columbia, barely visible at the top end of the twisted column of smoke.

7 Accidents and Disasters in Spaceflight History

Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

12 Greek Gods and Goddesses

9 of the World’s Deadliest Spiders

African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson

Vietnam War Timeline

In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.

6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters

A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England

Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

Arts & Culture

Colette

French writer

Also known as: Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette

Written by Kathleen Kuiper

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Feb 22, 2024 • Article History

Colette

See all media

Category: Arts & Culture

In full:: Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette

Born:: Jan. 28, 1873, Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye, France

Died:: Aug. 3, 1954, Paris (aged 81)

Notable Works:: “Chéri”; “Claudine at School”; “Claudine in Paris”; “Gigi”; “The Indulgent Husband”

See all related content →

Colette (born Jan. 28, 1873, Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye, France—died Aug. 3, 1954, Paris) was an outstanding French writer of the first half of the 20th century whose best novels, largely concerned with the pains and pleasures of love, are remarkable for their command of sensual description. Her greatest strength as a writer is an exact sensory evocation of sounds, smells, tastes, textures, and colours of her world. Colette was reared in a village in Burgundy, where her much-loved mother awakened her to the wonders of the natural world—everything that “germinates, blossoms, or flies.” At age 20 and ill-prepared for both married life ...(100 of 805 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.