''Mitsou'' is the name of a French war-time

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...

that was published by

Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known as Colette or Colette Willy, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a Mime artist, mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaki ...

in 1919. It was later made into a 1956 film ''

Mitsou Mitsou Annie Marie Gélinas (born September 1, 1970, in Loretteville, Quebec) is a Canadian pop singer, businesswoman, television and radio host, and actress. She is credited as Mitsou Gélinas when acting, but records simply as Mitsou (the Fre ...

''. The eponymous protagonist, a 24-year-old star in a show at the

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1917, hides briefly two lieutenants in her garderobe to help her friend Petite Chose. One of the men is the educated "blue lieutenant". He writes to her the next day thanking her, and Mitsou's surprisingly eloquent response results in an exchange of letters which express their blossoming attraction and love. Eventually, the lieutenant returns for a brief and singular visit. An apparently final exchange of letters seems to conclude the affair, although Mitsou does not give up hope for a future of the relationship. The well-received novella contains a play-like dialogue between Mitsou and the people around her as well as the letter exchange. The main characters are based on her second husband's brother, Robert de Jouvenel, and his mistress, Zou, but may also reflect a young Colette in her early relationship with her future first husband

Henry Gauthier-Villars Henry Gauthier-Villars (8 August 1859 – 12 January 1931), known by the pen name Willy , was a French '' fin de siècle'' writer and music critic who is today mostly known as the first husband of Colette. Other pseudonyms used by Gauthiers-Villa ...

Movie

The 1956 French film ''Mitsou'' is based on Colette's story.

Danièle Delorme Gabrielle Danièle Marguerite Andrée Girard (9 October 1926 – 17 October 2015), known by her stage name Danièle Delorme (), was a French actress and film producer, famous for her roles in films directed by Marc Allégret, Julien Duvivier an ...

played the main character.

References

1919 French novels Novels by Colette Novels set in Paris Fiction set in 1917 French novellas French novels adapted into films {{1910s-war-novel-stub