Colette: A Life

by Herbert R. Lottman

Colette: A Life

Genres: Biography, France

344 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1992

About the author

Herbert Lottman was an American journalist and author who spend most of his life in France.
He majored in English and biology at the University of New York, graduating in 1948 and earned a master’s in English from Columbia in 1951.
In 1956 he moved to Paris and became the manager of the Paris branch of the publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux. He also was writing for Publishers Weekly for four decades and wrote a novel, Detours From the Grand Tour.
But he is most reknowned for his biographies on French personalities and his writings on French intellectual life.

Reviews

[William Guerrant · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable book, made less enjoyable by the author's odd writing style, to which the reader (this one at least) eventually adjusts. He gives Colette's writing as much attention as her libertine personal life, and treats both delicately and generously.

[Mick Meyers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overstretched myself with this book,what I was after was an introduction to Colette,but found this heavy going and rather dull.

[Satu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but a bit dry. Especially the last third was a chore to get through. The author has done a tremendous work and added citations to nearly everything.

[Dvora Treisman · Rating 3 out of 5]

In her review, another Goodreads member said "There's often a whisper-thin line between a biography and a boringly-written research paper. Lottman has rubbed that line out completely." I'm not sure I have much to add except that Colette is one of my favorite writers and I've read several biographies about her. I may have learned something new from this one, the fact is that I don't remember facts well. The best thing about this book was that it coupled the events and stages of her life with what she wrote at that time. Other than that, it was poorly written and really there are better ways to learn about Colette.