Mitsou (novella)
Encyclopedia
Mitsou is the name of a French war-time novella
that was published by Colette
in 1919. It was later made into a 1956 film Mitsou
.
The eponymous protagonist, a 24-year-old star in a show at the Montmartre
in Paris
in 1917, hides briefly two lieutenants in her garderobe to help her friend Petite Chose. One of the men is the educated "blue lieutenant". He writes to her the next day thanking her, and Mitsou's surprisingly eloquent response results in an exchange of letters which express their blossoming attraction and love. Eventually, the lieutenant returns for a brief and singular visit. An apparently final exchange of letters seems to conclude the affair, although Mitsou does not give up hope for a future of the relationship.
The well-received novella contains a play-like dialogue between Mitsou and the people around her as well as the letter exchange. The main characters are based on her second husband's brother, Robert de Jouvenel, and his mistress, Zou, but may also reflect a young Colette in her early relationship with her future first husband Henry Gauthier-Villars
.
played the main character.
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
that was published by Colette
Colette
Colette was the surname of the French novelist and performer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette . She is best known for her novel Gigi, upon which Lerner and Loewe based the stage and film musical comedies of the same title.-Early life and marriage:Colette was born to retired military officer Jules-Joseph...
in 1919. It was later made into a 1956 film Mitsou
Mitsou (1956 film)
Mitsou is a 1956 French comedy film directed by Jacqueline Audry and starring Danièle Delorme, Fernand Gravey and François Guérin. A music hall singer becomes involved in a love triangle with an older wealthy man and a young army officer. It is based on the 1919 novella Mitsou by Colette...
.
The eponymous protagonist, a 24-year-old star in a show at the Montmartre
Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1917, hides briefly two lieutenants in her garderobe to help her friend Petite Chose. One of the men is the educated "blue lieutenant". He writes to her the next day thanking her, and Mitsou's surprisingly eloquent response results in an exchange of letters which express their blossoming attraction and love. Eventually, the lieutenant returns for a brief and singular visit. An apparently final exchange of letters seems to conclude the affair, although Mitsou does not give up hope for a future of the relationship.
The well-received novella contains a play-like dialogue between Mitsou and the people around her as well as the letter exchange. The main characters are based on her second husband's brother, Robert de Jouvenel, and his mistress, Zou, but may also reflect a young Colette in her early relationship with her future first husband Henry Gauthier-Villars
Henry Gauthier-Villars
Henry Gauthier-Villars or Willy, his nom-de-plume, was a French fin-de-siecle writer and music critic who is today mostly known as the mentor and bisexual first husband of Colette...
.
Movie
The 1956 French film Mitsou is based on Colette's story. Danièle DelormeDanièle Delorme
Danièle Delorme is an French actress and film producer....
played the main character.