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Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman
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Aficionados of musicals and classic films might be familiar with the 1958 film Gigi, starring Leslie Caron, or Audrey Hepburn’s debut on the American stage in the same musical. What they may be unfamiliar with is the book Gigi, written by an extraordinary woman who went by the name Colette. And even more striking would be the similarities between the enigmatic author and the character of Gigi, a spunky young woman who defies and redefines social mores to suit herself. That’s where a wonderful biography of Colette comes in.
Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette details the shocking, provocative and at times tragic life of the author, from her strange but pleasant childhood to her stranger adulthood, several marriages and even more relationships. Colette took the literary world by storm; she was a young, vibrant female writer and while she was often greeted with scorn by those who felt that her lascivious lifestyle and her gender meant she could not produce good work, she has been recognized with numerous literary awards, albeit at times begrudgingly.
Colette lived a life uninhibited by the social constraints of her time. Born in 1873, she began writing in her early twenties. She was married to a much older man who acted as her literary agent, and exploited her for many years. Colette performed onstage, an action that was shocking to her more conservative counterparts. More shocking were her bisexual and lesbian relationships, relationships that helped define her as a person and as a writer.
Much of Colette’s writing reflects her life, although indirectly. Her sharp observations on the flaws and beauties of human nature and the constraints of society are wrapped in stories that were often deemed wildly inappropriate, but which sold well. Although Colette herself was a bright and lively woman, her life after childhood was at times full of turmoil and pain. Despite periods of intense happiness, she also experienced tragedies and illnesses that plagued her throughout her life.
The biography showcases Colette’s strange lifestyle and her brilliant writing career, but it also allows readers to see the woman herself. Letters, journal entries, beautiful photographs and balanced, nuanced descriptions give the reader a clear idea of who Colette really was. From early childhood to her painful old age, Colette’s life flamed with energy and intrigue, and none of that is lost within the many pages of her biography.
Secrets of the Flesh chronicles Colette’s life from start to finish, along with an explanation of the relationship of her parents (a tumultuous story in itself) with great poise. Colette’s flaws are acknowledged as much as her strengths, and the reader is given a vivid and striking portrait of a woman who shaped the literary and social scene of her time. Any reader, whether a fan of Colette or someone who is completely unfamiliar with her, who comes across this book will put it down feeling as though they have been given a rare chance to open a window into someone’s life and see it in its entirety before their eyes.
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