1920
Chéri
Colette · 1873–1954 · France
Originally Chéri (French)
Why it matters
An aging Parisian courtesan and the beautiful young man she has kept and loved, and must give up to a suitable marriage. Colette writes desire and its expiry with unsentimental precision, taking a woman's fading beauty seriously as tragedy.
At a glance
romancepsychological novel
Difficulty 3/10medium pace170 pagesShort, sensuous, linear narrative told in lucid, controlled prose.
Deep dive
A courtesan nearing fifty and the beautiful young man she raised into her lover face what happens when an arrangement built to expire on schedule refuses to stay merely transactional.
