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The Cat and the Masked Woman: Oxford World's Classics
'My little puma! My darling cat! My mountain lion! How will you go on living if we leave each other?'
Colette (1873-1954) is one of the most widely read and critically acclaimed French writers of the twentieth century. The Cat first serialised then published in volume form in 1933) is one of her short novels. This story of a middle-class couple in 1920s Paris follows the familiar romantic structure of the 'eternal triangle', with the unexpected twist that the female rival is not a woman but a cat. The novel displays her capacity to conjure up a vibrantly physical world and a particular social moment, her radical yet nuanced view of gender roles, and her empathy with non-human creatures.
The Masked Woman is a collection of short texts, mainly written for the daily newspaper Le Matin, focusing on small moments that mark a transition in a person's life, and on certain recurring the pleasure and the pain in relationships between women and men, the wearing of masks both literal and metaphorical, female complicity and solidarity. They are also linked by Colette's inimitable narrative style, by the vividly material fictional universe she creates, and her liking for surprise and paradox that challenges a commonsensical view of the world.
Colette (1873-1954) is one of the most widely read and critically acclaimed French writers of the twentieth century. The Cat first serialised then published in volume form in 1933) is one of her short novels. This story of a middle-class couple in 1920s Paris follows the familiar romantic structure of the 'eternal triangle', with the unexpected twist that the female rival is not a woman but a cat. The novel displays her capacity to conjure up a vibrantly physical world and a particular social moment, her radical yet nuanced view of gender roles, and her empathy with non-human creatures.
The Masked Woman is a collection of short texts, mainly written for the daily newspaper Le Matin, focusing on small moments that mark a transition in a person's life, and on certain recurring the pleasure and the pain in relationships between women and men, the wearing of masks both literal and metaphorical, female complicity and solidarity. They are also linked by Colette's inimitable narrative style, by the vividly material fictional universe she creates, and her liking for surprise and paradox that challenges a commonsensical view of the world.
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Published August 7, 2025
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About the author
Colette
911 books1,755 followersColette was the pen name of the French novelist and actress Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. She is best known, at least in the English-speaking world, for her novella Gigi, which provided the plot for a famous Lerner & Loewe musical film and stage musical. She started her writing career penning the influential Claudine novels of books. The novel Chéri is often cited as her masterpiece.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 1, 2026
The cat is a wonderful story about the 'eternal triangle' where the other female along with the husband and wife is in fact a cat as per the following comment:
"An animal! she cried indignantly. You are sacrificing me for an animal! I'm your wife, for goodness' sake! You're abandoning me for an animal!'
The Masked Woman is a collection of articles written for Le Matin about the transitions that occur in a person's life.
"An animal! she cried indignantly. You are sacrificing me for an animal! I'm your wife, for goodness' sake! You're abandoning me for an animal!'
The Masked Woman is a collection of articles written for Le Matin about the transitions that occur in a person's life.
August 27, 2025
This book contains a novella, "The Cat," and several short vignettes by Colette that comprise the remainder of the book. The short stories were a nice time capsule of that time, but the novella was absolutely brilliant.
The story is set in Paris, in the 1920s/30s, a young couple, Alain and Camille, who are very different people. Camille is a go-getter, she loves to drive their sports car, socialize with people, and see the world. She is modern, industrious, and is comfortable with her sexuality. Alain is neurotic, antisocial, lazy, critical of his beautiful wife and her sexuality, and totally obsessed with his cat Saha, a Russian blue feline who apparently felt very human emotions.
Alain lived like a king in his mother’s home, where he would languidly lounge in a garden tended by his mother and would be served by his mother’s maids, and his sole interest was in his cat Saha whom he would coo and pet, and call “My little Puma.” He would spend hours looking at her and marvelling at every feat she performed. He was reluctant to leave his ancestral home for a ninth-floor apartment after his marriage because he considered it was not a suitable environment for his little Saha. He loathed socializing because it would mean parting with his beloved cat.
His wife, Camille, was not included in this lovefest and saw the cat as a rival for her husband’s affections, and thus began the discontent in marriage.
What I find fascinating here is that Alain’s character seems very timeless, almost a Gen Z character, driven by various neuroses, and is more interested in cuddling his cat than having sex with his wife. The story started off with a beautiful description of an old Parisian house & garden in summer, where a man and his cat were spending idyllic mornings, but took a rather dark turn towards the end.
It was skilfully written and I was enamoured with the way both writer and translator set the scene. The descriptions were very visual, and the emotions were very intense. Colette brought this rather short period in these characters’ lives brilliantly to the fore.
The story is set in Paris, in the 1920s/30s, a young couple, Alain and Camille, who are very different people. Camille is a go-getter, she loves to drive their sports car, socialize with people, and see the world. She is modern, industrious, and is comfortable with her sexuality. Alain is neurotic, antisocial, lazy, critical of his beautiful wife and her sexuality, and totally obsessed with his cat Saha, a Russian blue feline who apparently felt very human emotions.
Alain lived like a king in his mother’s home, where he would languidly lounge in a garden tended by his mother and would be served by his mother’s maids, and his sole interest was in his cat Saha whom he would coo and pet, and call “My little Puma.” He would spend hours looking at her and marvelling at every feat she performed. He was reluctant to leave his ancestral home for a ninth-floor apartment after his marriage because he considered it was not a suitable environment for his little Saha. He loathed socializing because it would mean parting with his beloved cat.
His wife, Camille, was not included in this lovefest and saw the cat as a rival for her husband’s affections, and thus began the discontent in marriage.
What I find fascinating here is that Alain’s character seems very timeless, almost a Gen Z character, driven by various neuroses, and is more interested in cuddling his cat than having sex with his wife. The story started off with a beautiful description of an old Parisian house & garden in summer, where a man and his cat were spending idyllic mornings, but took a rather dark turn towards the end.
It was skilfully written and I was enamoured with the way both writer and translator set the scene. The descriptions were very visual, and the emotions were very intense. Colette brought this rather short period in these characters’ lives brilliantly to the fore.
February 22, 2026
Colette is brilliant at capturing the subtle tensions in relationships without making the drama feel exaggerated. The Cat is especially sharp in how it portrays jealousy and emotional distance in a marriage, through small and simple expression.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews