In this autobiographical gem about her first impulses to write, a young Colette nurses a romance with her father's tools: blotting paper, an ebony ruler, stationary, pens, and sealing wax of various colors -- red, violet, and green. Meanwhile, the facts of life bloom around her. Her parents argue, a neighbor dies, and Madame Hervouet, the old man's widow, quite simply loses her mind . . .
With the mythologizing of a child and the uncanny wisdom of a real writer, Colette -- "the most French of all French writers" (New York Times) -- describes her glittering initiation into the bewildering and fraught world of adults.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
A great story will do what a novel cannot—capture a moment of life in only a moment of your time. Once read, it won't let itself be shaken off. It needs to be reread, spoken, shared.
Picador Singles highlights unforgettable works of fiction. Sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hilarious, these are the iconic stories we never forget, presented in small, beautiful keepsake editions, with designs as bold as the writing between their covers.
Take one on the train. Give one as a gift. Carry one with you everywhere.
