Peace Among the Beasts
The larger 1916 animal book that absorbed this one's twelve pieces whole.
Read our take
Prrou, Poucette and a Few Others
by Colette
A rare 1913 animal book — printed in just 300 copies, never reissued, and soon absorbed whole into Peace Among the Beasts.
- 1913
About Colette
The story, briefly
Spoiler-freePrrou, Poucette and a Few Others is a small collection of Colette's animal writing, first published in 1913 in a limited run of only 300 copies. It was never reissued on its own: its twelve pieces were absorbed three years later into the larger animal book Peace Among the Beasts. The creatures give the book its title — Prrou, Poucette, Poum — as the earlier double act of the cat Kiki-la-Doucette and the dog Toby-Chien recedes. It is one of the most fugitive of Colette's early books. (What's inside is described below.)
The story, in more detail
This is a transitional book, both in what it does and in how it survives. The animal writing here begins to move away from the frank talking-pet comedy of Animal Dialogues toward a quieter, more patient description of the puzzling bond between people and animals. The named creatures — Prrou, Poucette, Poum — carry the pieces, and the earlier cat-and-dog dialogue gives ground to observation.
Its bibliographic life is part of the story. Printed in a careful limited edition of 300 copies and never issued again as a separate book, Prrou, Poucette and a Few Others is a genuinely rare object. Almost every later reader meets its contents not here but inside Peace Among the Beasts (1916), which took up its twelve pieces whole.
For that reason the book matters as much as a first state as for its contents: it marks the point where Colette's animal writing turned from comedy toward attention, just before it found its fuller form in the wartime animal book.
What's inside
There is no plot. The book gathers twelve short pieces about animals, centered on the creatures named in the title — Prrou, Poucette, and Poum — as the earlier double act of Kiki-la-Doucette and Toby-Chien recedes. The writing is beginning to move from the talking-pet comedy of Colette's first animal book toward patient description of the bond between humans and animals.
Its form on the shelf is part of what the page records. First published in 1913 in a limited edition of only 300 copies, it was never reissued on its own; its twelve pieces were absorbed in 1916 into the larger book Peace Among the Beasts, which is where nearly all later readers encounter them.
Themes and analysis
The distance that trust must cross
Prrou does not answer kindness with immediate submission. She waits for the visitor's presence to fade before eating, and follows into the house only when her kittens are carried there. The later domestic portrait unsettles a simple rescue story: the narrator imagines the comfortable cat maintaining a performance of suffering that keeps everyone solicitous. Compassion becomes a relationship in which the animal can also direct human behavior. The closing description restores claws, strength and hunting potential beneath the modest appearance. Care changes Prrou's circumstances without making her fully legible or merely grateful.
The most innocent face in the room
Poucette's invented voice makes the broken vase a problem of interpretation. The bulldog describes the trustworthy face she presents while openly admitting to deception; readers receive the confession that her human audience cannot obtain. Household disorder becomes a performance, with accusations, entrances and changing roles. But the ending pushes beyond the joke. If every gesture can be staged, a warm greeting cannot prove affection, and apparent hostility might conceal it. The request to be loved as she is leaves that uncertainty intact. Intimacy requires something less conclusive than a reliably decipherable face.
Why we recommend it
A genuinely rare first state
Printed in just 300 copies and never reissued, it is one of the most fugitive of Colette's early books.
The turn from comedy to attention
It marks the point where her animal writing moves from talking pets toward patient observation.
The seed of a bigger book
Its twelve pieces became part of Peace Among the Beasts, so it is where that later book begins.
What this book explores
Bring it to book club
- The book survives mostly inside a later one. Does a work's rarity change how you value it?
- The animal writing here turns from comedy toward observation. What is gained, and what is lost, in that shift?
- Colette names her creatures in the title. What does naming an animal do to how we read about it?
Timeline
1910–1912
The twelve pieces first appear in Le Matin and Paris-Journal before being collected in the limited edition.
1913
Prrou, Poucette et quelques autres is published by Librairie des lettres in a limited edition of 300 copies.
1916
Its twelve pieces are absorbed whole into La Paix chez les bêtes (Peace Among the Beasts).
Book editions
Hardcover
- Hardcover
- 1913
Hardcover
- Hardcover
- 1916
Reader reviews
Readers may also like
Animal Dialogues
Colette's first animal book, whose talking-pet comedy this collection begins to move beyond.
Read our take
The Tendrils of the Vine
The near-contemporary collection whose short pieces share this book's animal interest.
Read our takePrrou, Poucette and a Few Others: frequently asked questions
Who wrote Prrou, Poucette and a Few Others?
Colette. Prrou, Poucette et quelques autres was first published in 1913, in a limited edition of only 300 copies.
Why is the book so rare?
It was printed in a limited run of 300 copies and never reissued as a separate book. Its twelve pieces were later absorbed into Peace Among the Beasts (1916), where most readers now find them.
What is it about?
It is a small collection of animal pieces centered on the creatures Prrou, Poucette, and Poum, as Colette's animal writing turns from talking-pet comedy toward closer observation.
Is it a novel?
No. It is a short collection of animal pieces without a continuous plot.
Is it available in English?
Not securely under this title. Its contents entered English through the history of Peace Among the Beasts, which absorbed them.
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References
References
The sources below include the primary text, editions, scholarship, archival materials, and other records that informed this page. They document Prrou, Poucette and a Few Others, its publication, and its place in literary history.
1Prrou, Poucette and a Few Others
NovelColette, 1913Used forThe primary text represented by this page, used for descriptions of the work’s contents and for any quoted passages shown here.
2La Paix chez les bêtes — Georges Crès 1916 edition
WebsiteWikisourceUsed forComplete primary French texts of “Prrou” (pp. 17–25) and “Poucette” (pp. 27–34) read in the 1916 Georges Crès collection. Their inclusion in the earlier twelve-piece volume is corroborated by the already cited Société des amis de Colette work history. These are readings of the later reprints, not a collation with the rare 1913 printing.
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 verify Prrou, Poucette and a Few Others's bibliographic context and its place within Colette's published work.
5Bibliothèque nationale de France — The Worlds of Colette
Exhibition catalogueUsed forUsed for independent archival, institutional, or historical context surrounding Colette and Prrou, Poucette and a Few Others.
6Library of Congress — Colette resource guide
WebsiteUsed forUsed to cross-check chronology, publication history, and the circumstances in which Prrou, Poucette and a Few Others appeared.
7Bibliothèque nationale de France — Colette: online resources
WebsiteUsed forUsed for an additional scholarly or biographical perspective on Prrou, Poucette and a Few Others and Colette's wider career.
8Colette — publication history of prrou poucette and a few others
WebsiteSociété des amis de ColetteUsed forPublication and revision history used for the timeline.
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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.
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