Colette (Portraits français)

Written by qualified French expert Céline Pickard PGCE, BA

In: Reading B2, Famous People, Literature, Poetry, Theatre, Listening or Seeing B2

Discussion of this reading exercise: 3

Growing up in a small town in Burgundy, French author Colette never imagined she would one day become the toast of Paris. As prolific a writer as she was passionate and scandalous (for the times) in life, Colette and her nonconformist heroines flouted social conventions, which explains why she is still so popular more than a century later. Learn more about her fascinating life in this article from our Portraits français series.

After listening to the audio, click any word for the English translation and links to related grammar lessons. 

Note: The tenses in this French article and its English translation don't match! In French, we use the present tense to describe historical stories like this to evoke a sense of immediacy, whereas in English, we commonly use the past tense - learn more about historical French tenses.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4