Joan Hinde Stewart discusses French novelist Collette (1873-1954). Who was Colette, and what did she write? Why does Colette have a reputation as the author of those books, many of which were semi-autobiographical? What are Colette’s literary merits? Collette’s life was both successful and scandalous, due to her famous writings, work as a performer, marriages, and lesbian and heterosexual affairs. Stewart describes Collette’s lasting fame in the United States and abroad, and the ongoing importance of Collette’s themes of class structure and marginalized people.
In the second segment [22:30], Hal Crowther comments on America’s love of technology and gadgets through the true story of Spir-Com, a device designed to communicate with the dead.
At the time of this interview, Stewart, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1982-83), was professor of French at North Carolina State University.
Crowther was a writer for Spectator Magazine (Raleigh, N.C.).
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
