Colette’s Chéri

I’m re-reading Chéri, one of the most well-loved of Colette’s later novels. I’m reading it in two books at the same time: a beautiful, leather-bound French version from Editions de Crémille 1968, with a hand-painted illustration of a very innocent-looking house, and also a bright pink dual language version. The dual language version is great; it’s useful in that I can understand all those words here and there that I usually just skim over because I’m too comfortable to get up and get the dictionary. It also gives great entertainment value in that I can scoff at the translation, especially all the modernisms: the thought of Colette writing “gotten” is absurd. Tut tut.

On the other hand, the book has a good introduction — it actually mentions Missy, rather than ignoring this inconvenient six-year relationship, as most introductions do. And it also illustrates a fascinating difference in em dashes: the French side has a space on either side of it — as I do with mine — but the em dash on the English side has no spaces—which I’m told is correct—but somehow find odd. It does look elegant, but I suppose I’m so used to seeing them with spaces that it looks wrong without them.

I’ve had a temporary, involuntary break from writing: I’m hoping that I’m germinating. The break was due largely to The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Fantastic, brilliant, phenomenal. I loved it. This unfortunately meant that I couldn’t disengage myself from it: it went with me everywhere around the house from room to room, clasped to my bosom like a baby. I shall have to re-impose my previous ban on any book unrelated to Colette or Anaïs Nin… Chéri is a lovely beginning.

Ça fait trop longtemps que je n’ecris pas! (enfin, quelques semaines….) C’est la faute d’un livre merveilleux de Donna Tartt, je ne supportais pas la possibilité de passer d’une piece a l’autre sans prendre le bouquin avec moi. Maintenant je retourne au régime: Non à tout livre qui ne parle pas soit de Colette ou d’Anaïs Nin! Je comence avec Chéri…

favourite books

Wonderful, fabulous books that I can read over and over again. These are books to aspire to and be inspired by.

Obviously, anything by Colette and Anaïs Nin.

I prefer Colette’s novels to her short stories; I especially love Colette’s later “Claudine” novels, “Retreat from love”, “Julie de Carneillhan”, “The Cat” and “Cheri”.

I prefer Anaïs’s diary and erotica to her novels. I love the “Henry and June” diaries, and the erotic stories in “Delta of Venus” and “Little birds”.

Anything and everything by Sarah Waters. Fantastic historical lesbian stories.

“Theatre” by W Somerset Maugham. Absolutely bloody fantastic, darling, and it makes one want to talk frightfully posh.

“Bel Ami” by Guy de Maupassant. He’s known for his short stories, but this novel is my favourite of his writing: about a handsome, ambitious man and how he works his way up c19th Parisian society women.

“As Francesca” by Martha Baer: wonderfully perverse and erotic in New York.

“Yocandra” by Zoé Valdés: wonderfully perverse and erotic in Cuba.

“Marble Skin” and “Taste of a Man” by Slavenka Draculic: same, à la Croatienne (there’s a theme here).

“Fun Home” and the “Dykes To Watch Out For” comics by Alison Bechdel, who is universally and rightly admired as a genius. The eternal question is: do I have a crush on Mo, or AM I Mo?

“Boudica” by Manda Scott: an engrossing historical saga about the early British tribal queen (who was called Bodacea when I was at school).

“The mists of Avalon” by Marion Zimmer Bradley: an engrossing historical saga about the female side of the King Arthur story: Morgaine and Vivianne.

Patricia Highsmith’s “Tom Ripley” books, Iris Murdoch, Edmund White, Jeanette Winterson, Emma Donoghue, Alan Hollinghurst… but then you probably already know they are marvellous.

A busy month for writing competitions

Actually, it’s the last two months that have been madly busy: just call me whirling chaos. There’s the Six Pack competition (NZ), the PSA competition (NZ), the Fish one page competition (Ireland), and an application for Creative NZ funding… and the writing of these stories (all different) to be fitted in around an equally busy time at work — no wonder there’s been no time to even think about the leaking roof! It can be quite melodious sitting on the loo, as the rain drips in two places very slightly out of time, so you get a dancing two-step plink-plonk, plink-plonk effect.

Meanwhile, chez Anaïs… I have a beautiful new picture of her on my inspiration board, wearing the transparent, black lace dress made famous in the film “Henry and June”. All that’s missing is the portrait of Colette and Missy, Colette at her desk, pen poised, the desk covered in papers, books and Toby-chien the miniature bulldog, while Missy standing at the window, looking like a serious, protective uncle. I haven’t written much of the Anaïs chapters lately, as I’m concentrating on Colette for the moment, but she’s still there in the background: the story is fermenting, gathering flavour and spices…

What I’ve been reading lately: “Extremely loud and incredibly close” by Jonathan Safran Foer. A friend lent it to me, and to be honest I opened the book a bit resentfully, or rather with bad grace, not expecting to enjoy it. I was mesmerised from the first paragraph, or maybe even the first sentence. I won’t spoil it by saying what it’s about: just read it, it’s brilliant.
I’m also simultaneously rereading Colette “Claudine married” (for research purposes), and comics by Roberta Gregory and Alison Bechdel (purely for fun). Also a fictional biography of Anaïs Nin — I won’t say who it’s by as I think my stories are much better!

Tout ce qu’il me manque pour mon mur d’inspiration, c’est le portrait de Colette et Missy, Colette assise à son bureau, un stylo à la main. Le bureau est un bazar de papiers, de livres, le tout surveillé par Toby-chien et Missy, debout à la fenêtre avec son air d’oncle plutôt sérieux.

J’ai une idée: je pense à traduire, dans chaque poste, un petit extrait de mon roman en français. Qu’est-ce que vous en pensez?