"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 to...