The many lives and loves of legendary French writer Colette

The novels of Colette, whose body of work begins in the early 20th century and is marked by heroines seeking emancipation, still resonate today, 150 years after her birth. Photo: AFP

A century before #MeToo, French author Colette dumped a sleazy husband who took the credit for her work to throw herself into a life of free love that she fictionalised in groundbreaking novels about the lives of women.

France this week celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of the novelist whose uproarious life featured in the 2018 Hollywood biopic Colette starring Keira Knightley.