Doesn't look like that exciting a book, does it? But Victor Margueritte's novel La Garconne (1922) caused a sensation in the Age of the Flapper. I decided to see if I could borrow a copy. The statewide library system where I live only had the French edition but I was still pleased to be able to get it.
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I've seen a number of translations of "garconne" (with the proper French cedilla c-squiggle), including "bacheloress," "bachelorette," and "gentlewoman," as in title of the 2016 book
Personally, the translation I prefer is "The Bachelor Girl," but the version I found for the English language Kindle version of the novel uses "Bacheloress."
In the book, a young woman disinclined to marry leaves home to avoid the marriage of convenience her parents have set up for her. She has an affair with a female singer who seems to be a melding between Edith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich, and Josephine. Further adventures exploring the wild side of life follow, and an out-of-wedlock pregnancy is just one event of many. The scandalous nature of the novel's plot drew readers, and the book sold three-quarters of a million copies in the 1920s. There was much moral outrage. Over the years, it's been filmed a few times, always in French so far.
Here's Edith Piaf singing in the 1936 filmed version of the Margueritte novel.
La Garconne's author, Victor Margueritte, wrote a lot of fiction about French society and culture and modern mores, some by himself and some in collaboration with his brother Paul.
I love the cover for this book of Victor's, which came out two years before La Garconne. The title and subtitle translate to "Human Cattle: An Ambiguous Novel." That fellow in the front sure has Peter Lorre's upper- and lower-eye pouches, doesn't he?
La Garconne was far and away Victor Margueritte's most popular book. He didn't take it well when the novel was attacked as "pornography." The book wasn't meant to be read that way; it was simply supposed to be a look at the new freedoms women were exploring after the First World War.
Before he took up work as a poet and novelist, Victor Margueritte was a military officer. He and his brother Paul were the sons of a famous military man. Victor himself received a commissioned office but around the turn of the century he resigned it in order to write. During his time of service Margueritte was awarded the Legion of Honor medal but later had it yanked by the French government. This was theoretically because of the scandal surrounding the publication of La Garconne. However, one wonders if the author's views on military life might not have rankled some people of importance. Check out this edition of his novel Non ! A novel of a conscience. And of course in the illustration above for the book called Human Cattle,, we saw a military parade going by the window.
Speaking of the military life, recently I looked at a photo of Victor Margaritte in later life, and I thought he slightly resembled Commander McBragg from those cartoon segments on "Rocky and Bullwinkle." Mostly the eyebrows, I think.
When I do these library book posts, I like to show you the bookplates, date-due stamps, title pages, bindings, endpapers, and so on.
You can find video clips from the the 1957 film "La Garconne" on YouTube. Here's a screenshot of the singer Colette Mars doing her thing in a jazz club setting. The tailored jacket of her skirt suit and the rockabilly wave of hair on her forehead are to indicates the character is a lesbian, if you didn't figure that out right away.
Next week: Another library book, also old, but in English this time
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