Break of Day
The later book in which Colette's reflective, first-person voice fully arrives.
Read our take
Journey for Myself
by Colette
Short prose of weather, illness, waiting, and travel — a mutable self-portrait Colette reworked heavily between 1922 and 1928.
- 1922
About Colette
The story, briefly
Spoiler-freeJourney for Myself (Le Voyage égoïste) is a collection of Colette's short prose, first published in 1922 and then substantially rewritten and enlarged in 1928. Its subject is the self at rest and in motion: reveries on weather, illness, and waiting in the early version, joined later by sharper, more ironical pieces of contemporary observation. It is less a fixed book than a shifting short-form self-portrait, and this page treats both states of it together. (What's inside is described below.)
The story, in more detail
The 1922 book was a small, lyrical volume — twelve prose pieces, issued with lithographs by Charles Guérin. Its pieces turn inward: a Sunday, the heat of a sickroom, a pause, an illness, rendered as reverie. The mood is close and therapeutic, memory and bodily sensation made into prose.
In 1928 Colette reworked the book so thoroughly that it is almost a different one. Retitled Le Voyage égoïste suivi de Quatre saisons, it keeps only four of the early pieces — 'Dimanche,' 'J'ai chaud,' 'Répit,' and 'Malade' — and adds the twelve texts of Quatre saisons along with more recent, more ironical writing. The inward weather of 1922 is now set beside outward, contemporary observation: fashion, social life, the passing scene.
Because the two versions differ so much, Journey for Myself is best understood as a mutable self-portrait rather than a single stable book — Colette revisiting and rebuilding her own short prose across the 1920s. It was translated into English under this title by David Le Vay.
What's inside
There is no plot. The book is a collection of short prose pieces — reveries and observations rather than a narrative. The 1922 version gathers twelve inward pieces on weather, illness, waiting, and memory. The 1928 version keeps only four of these and adds many more, including the twelve texts of Quatre saisons and sharper, more ironical writing about contemporary life.
Read together, the two states show Colette moving between two registers of the short self-portrait: the lyrical and inward on one side, the worldly and observant on the other. The unifying figure is the writing self, described at rest and in motion across a decade.
Themes and analysis
The room in summer heat
J’ai chaud turns the shuttered room into a place where language can alter bodily sensation. At first the speaker rejects touch and complains that a companion blocks the little moving air. Gradually the commands become requests for descriptions, memories and a story of snow: words promise the freshness the room cannot supply. The repeated complaint of heat persists, keeping this imaginative relief provisional. By the close, the companion's breath, fingers and presence are welcomed. The movement from demanding distance to asking someone to stay makes the reverie an exchange, rather than a self-contained retreat into private feeling.
The passing world of fashion
Soieries begins by making a printed flower look like a creature rising through water. Even when its designer identifies a poppy, the narrator sees a jellyfish: texture and reflected light transform the motif beyond its maker's intention. Her scrutiny moves between visual pleasure, touch and fatigue, giving the fabrics the complexity of an exhibition rather than treating them as mere purchases. The final joke unsettles luxury's visible signs, when precious silk achieves a perfect imitation of inexpensive wool. Craft becomes most astonishing when it conceals its cost, complicating any easy equation between splendor, expense and value.
Why we recommend it
A book in two states
The 1922 and 1928 versions differ so much that reading them together shows Colette revising her own short prose across a decade.
Inward weather and worldly observation
Reveries on illness and waiting sit beside sharper, ironical pieces on contemporary life.
The short self-portrait
An early instance of the fragmentary self-portrait Colette would perfect in her late books.
What this book explores
Bring it to book club
- The 1928 version keeps only four pieces of the 1922 book. What does such heavy revision tell you about how Colette saw the work?
- The early pieces look inward; the later ones look out at the world. Which register do you prefer, and why?
- Colette calls the journey 'egoist' — for herself. What kind of travel is the book actually about?
Timeline
1922
Le Voyage égoïste is published — twelve lyrical prose pieces, with lithographs by Charles Guérin.
1924–1925
New pieces appear in Demain and Vogue; they later supply much of the enlarged 1928 version.
1928
Colette reworks it as Le Voyage égoïste suivi de Quatre saisons, keeping only four of the original pieces and adding many more.
Book editions
Hardcover
- Hardcover
- 1922
Hardcover
- Hardcover
- 1928
Paperback
- Paperback
- David Le Vay
Ebook
- Ebook
Reader reviews
Readers may also like
The Evening Star
The late self-portrait built, like this one, from short pieces rather than narrative.
Read our take
Journey for Myself: frequently asked questions
Who wrote Journey for Myself?
Colette. Le Voyage égoïste was first published in 1922 and substantially rewritten and enlarged in 1928.
What is the book about?
It is a collection of short prose — reveries on weather, illness, and waiting, joined in the later version by sharper observation of contemporary life — a shifting self-portrait rather than a story.
Why are there two versions?
Colette reworked the book heavily in 1928, retitling it Le Voyage égoïste suivi de Quatre saisons, keeping only four of the original twelve pieces and adding many new ones. This page covers both states as one work.
Is it a novel?
No. It is a collection of short prose pieces without a continuous plot.
Is Journey for Myself available in English?
Yes. It was translated into English under this title by David Le Vay.
If you like Colette
Explore authors with a similar voice, perspective, and influence.
Henry Miller
The Brooklyn dropout who arrived in Paris broke at thirty-eight and wrote the exuberant, banned books that ended American censorship.
View author
Louis-Ferdinand Céline
The doctor of the Paris slums who wrote the century's blackest, funniest novel — and changed the sound of French prose.
View author
Martha Gellhorn
War correspondent who covered the Spanish Civil War, D-Day, and conflicts across five more decades; Hemingway's third wife, 1940–1945.
View author
References
References
The sources below include the primary text, editions, scholarship, archival materials, and other records that informed this page. They document Journey for Myself, its publication, and its place in literary history.
1Journey for Myself
NovelColette, 1922Used forThe primary text represented by this page, used for descriptions of the work’s contents and for any quoted passages shown here.
2Le Voyage égoïste suivi de Quatre saisons — Ferenczi 1928 edition
WebsiteWikisourceUsed forFrench primary text: complete J’ai chaud, pp. 13–19, and Soieries, pp. 203–210, in the 1928 collection. No 1922/1928 collation or comparison with David Le Vay's translation.
3Colette — bibliography of original editions
WebsiteSociété des amis de ColetteUsed forThe Société des amis de Colette bibliography verifies the original edition's publisher and publication date.
4Société des amis de Colette — Chronology
WebsiteUsed forUsed to place Journey for Myself within Colette's published work and verify its bibliographic context.
5Bibliothèque nationale de France — The Worlds of Colette
Exhibition catalogueUsed forUsed for independent biographical, archival, or historical context surrounding Colette's career and the period in which Journey for Myself appeared.
6Library of Congress — Colette resource guide
WebsiteUsed forUsed to cross-check authorship, chronology, and the work's place in Colette's wider catalogue.
7Bibliothèque nationale de France — Colette: online resources
WebsiteUsed forUsed to verify Colette's bibliography and place Journey for Myself within the broader chronology of Colette's career.
8Colette — publication history of journey for myself
WebsiteSociété des amis de ColetteUsed forPublication and revision history used for the timeline.
i
Why these sources are here
The primary text is the baseline reference for every book page. Additional references document publication history, interpretation, and historical context where that evidence is available.
Explore more resources