Cheri and The Last Of Cheri involve a tragic/comic love affair. Colette (1873-1954) is the pseudonym for Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. She is best known in English speaking countries for her novel Gigi, which was later the source for the Lerner & Loewe musical film and stage musical. Cheri and The Last Of Cheri are two novels concerning a love affair between a successful but aging courtesan, Léa de Lonval, and her spoiled young lover called Chéri. The intensity of their feelings is revealed when Chéri marries eighteen-year-old Marie-Laure.