Profession: writer

Saint Phalle was a childhood friend: they eloped, got married, divorced. Mathews joined Ashbery, Schuyler and Koch in founding and editing an influential literary magazine, ‘Locus Solus.’ Perec, Queneau and Arnaud were met through Mathews’ membership of Oulipo. Leiris was a living connection with one of Mathews’ literary heroes, Raymond Roussel. Clemente did illustrations for a book Mathews wrote about masturbation.

Casanova met Mozart in Prague, attending the première of his opera Don Giovanni (there’s a story that he amended da Ponte’s libretto so as to reflect his own experiences). He claimed to have sat next to Franklin and listened to him discussing aeronautical balloons. He described Haller, whom he stayed with, as a physical as well as mental colossus. He visited Rousseau on the pretext of asking him to copy out some music, and amused himself on the way back by describing his eccentric habits. He told Voltaire that he thought him “the greatest genius our continent has produced.”

James taught her psychology, and thought her an ideal student. She was first Picasso’s patron, then friend (he painted her portrait). She regularly visited Masson’s studio, helped Gris out financially, and supported Hemingway, who bit back when successful. Matisse, Apollinaire and Anderson were among others to attend her salon. Hugnet collaborated, but they fell out bitterly. Williams replied bluntly to her question about publication, Thomson set her words to music, Pound angered her by clumsily breaking her furniture, and Bowles asked for a contribution to a student magazine (later walking her “awful” dog).

Simenon said that Colette taught him to write, rejecting stories he submitted as too literary. As a young writer newly moved to Paris, Simenon mixed with Vlaminck, Jacob and Picasso. He had a two-year affair with the then-unknown Baker, and boasted to his friend Miller about his sexual strength. Gide thought him a novelist of genius, maintained a longstanding dialogue, and questioned him extensively whenever he visited. Among other friends, Auric wrote an opera with him, while Pagnol and Cocteau waited for news of what Pagnol called “Simenon’s heart condition, of which Cocteau almost died.”

Lefebvre gave the then-unknown author house-room to write. Barthes let him sit in on seminars, as a writer not a student, and sent his own manuscripts to him for comment. Queneau, Le Lionnais, Berge, Mathews, Roubaud, Calvino and Bénabou were all fellow-members of Oulipo. With Roubaud and Bénabou he was initially shocked at what the infirm Le Lionnais charged for round-table dinners, but then warmed to him. He ate with Ashbery while working on ‘Life A User’s Manual’, and considered translating his poetry into French. He collaborated with Virilio in Duvignaud’s review ‘Cause Commune.’

Dubuffet and Queneau were schoolfriends, both remaining close for the rest of their lives (Miller photographed them). Arland and Crevel were all met on military service: Vitrac and Crevel introduced him to Breton. Leiris, Masson (a lifelong friend, met in 1922) and Queneau all worked with him on Bataille’s ‘Documents.’ He visited Braque in Normandy and went to Cuba with Leiris. Dubuffet, critically for his career, was introduced by Limbour to Paulhan, and painted him as a crustacean. When he died accidentally, swimming, Masson said he’d been killed by the two forces he venerated most in the world: the sea and the sun.

Musset wrote to her after reading ‘Indiana’, and became her lover. Travelling to Venice, they ran into Stendhal, drinking and dancing around the table. She had a one-night stand with Mérimée, and a ten-year affair with Chopin, sending Delacroix out for a bottle of Bordeaux when Chopin was ill. Sainte-Beuve was her confidant, Liszt a friend but not a lover. She corresponded with Dumas père, and intimately and extensively with Flaubert. Balzac invited her round for ice-cream; arriving to stay with her, he found her smoking a cigar by the fire (he slept from 6 p.m. to midnight, while she slept from 6 a.m. to midday).