 | |
| Author | Colette |
|---|---|
| Language | French |
| Genre | Novella |
Publication date | 1944 |
| Publication place | France |
Published in English | 1953 |
Gigi (pronounced[ʒi.ʒi]) is a1944 novella by French writerColette. The plot focuses on a young Parisian girl being groomed for a career as acourtesan and her relationship with the wealthy cultured man named Gaston who falls in love with her and eventually marries her.
The novel was translated into English byRoger Senhouse and published (with "The Cat" translated byAntonia White) in 1953.[1]
The life story ofYola Letellier,[2] the wife of Henri Letellier (publisher ofLe Journal and mayor ofDeauville (1925–1928)[3]), was the inspiration for the novel.[2]
The novella was the basis fora 1949 French film starringDanièle Delorme andGaby Morlay.
In 1951, it wasadapted for the stage byAnita Loos. Colette had personally picked the yet unknownAudrey Hepburn on first sight to play the title role.[4] Her Aunt Alicia was played by stage legendCathleen Nesbitt, who was to become Hepburn's acting mentor from that time on. Opening onBroadway at theFulton Theatre on 24 November 1951, the play ran for 219 performances (finishing on 31 May 1952) and Hepburn's Broadway debut earned her aTheatre World Award.[5]
A1958 musical film version, starringLeslie Caron in the title role, with a screenplay byAlan Jay Lerner and a score by Lerner andFrederick Loewe, won theAcademy Award for Best Picture. Lerner and Loewe adapted the film for an expurgated1973 stage musical that proved to be unsuccessful but was revived on Broadway in 2015.[6]
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