The
new movie Colette, starring Kiera
Knightley as the novelist Colette, is a wonderful telling of a powerful story
about identity, sexual mores, gender, and of course, writing.
Colette
was one of the most successful fictional authors of 20th century
France, a woman revered for her series of Claudine
books, spicy novels that challenged public views of marriage and
bisexuality. The books were originally
released under her husband’s name even though she penned them.
The
film covers some important topics in a serious and interesting way. The sexual antics can be titilating, but what
drives the movie is her determination to live her truth and assert not only who
she really is but for her to follow her true passions.
The
movie is also an interesting study of the book publishing world back in the
1890s. Colette’s husband, Willy, ran a writing factory, hiring ghost writers to publish essays, articles, and books under his
name. He used personality and charm –
and the advantages of being a man in a society that defined roles by gender –
to successfully promote and market the works under his name. But it also reveals how he forced his wife,
into writing books that she neither wanted to write nor to be published under
his name.
We
get to see how the real-life events play in the inspiration of writers’ fictional
stories, and the symbiotic connection between creativity and reality, how art
drives life – and life drives art.
Keira
is so beautiful and just dominates the screen visually. But her strong-willed character and intensity
take over the story and she leads us not just with her looks but her
convictions and pursuit of a truth that resonates with each of us.
Colette
had been praised by the New York Times
as “the greatest living French writer of fiction, and that she was while Gide
and Provst still lived.”
She
had a scandalous life, which included an affair with her 16-year-old stepson, ala
Woody Allen. But she lived passionately
and found a way to channel all that she experienced into her voluminous
writings that earned her a nomination for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Brittainica.com
says of her: “An outstanding French writer
of the first half of the 20th century whose best novels, largely
concerned with the pains and pleasure of love, are remarkable for their command
of sensual description. Her greatest
strength as a writer is an exact sensory evocation of sounds, smells, tastes,
textures, and colors of her world.”
Go
see the movie.
DON”T MISS THESE!!!
How to craft a brief
message for long books
Why authors need
coaches, just like athletes
Know the media’s
purpose in order to have them cover your book
Can you craft a
lifetime reading plan
Can we launch a TV
show for books?
How do you find more book reviewers?
Valuable Info On Book Marketing
Landscape For First-Time Authors
Scores of Best-Selling Book PR Tips from
Book Expo PR Panel
Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative
opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone
and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him
on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels
much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2018. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in
Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and
IBPA’s Independent. This was named one of the best book
marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the
top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best
resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America
and participated in a PR panel at the Sarah Lawrence College Writers Institute
Conference.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.