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Another Tour: a book review of The Vagabond by Colette

 


"Reading The Vagabond" Kristin Fouquet 2022

    Spring felt like the time to reread The Vagabond, a novel from one of my favorite French authors, Colette. The name of the protagonist, Renée, means reborn. This is no accident, as The Vagabond is semi-autobiographical, and Colette was newly divorced from a scoundrel of a husband who claimed all of her first novels under his name. Renée, much like Colette, fled her married writing life to become a dancer and mime on the stage in music halls across France. This first book under her name alone was written with keen rebellion and a tinge of revenge.    
    Published in 1910, The Vagabond is set in a period where women had little independence. When Renée finds herself under the spell of a second love, she must face the struggle of choosing love or freedom. This choice is difficult: stay independent and free, but with the hard work of performing and touring, or succumb to emotion and a comfortable life? Few modern women would have to make this choice.
    Despite my confidence in the translation by Enid McLeod, Colette’s lush language has me again cursing myself for not studying French so I could read it in the original. Alas. Although The Vagabond is rooted in a particular period, the battle for love or independence expressed in it is as fresh and new as ever.


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