Sand, George
Nickname/Alias: born: Amandine-Aurore-Lucille Dudevant
Achievements: Writer and lover of Chopin
Born: July 1, 1804; Paris, France
Died: June 8, 1876; Nohant, France. Aged 72
Field & Discipline: Art; Literature; Writer
Language: French
Education: Privately at home; Convent of Paris
Major Work:
"La Mare au Diable"
"Francois le Champi"
"Histoire de Ma Vie"
Life & Times:
In 1822, Sand met and married Casimir Dudevant. They went to live at Nohant, which she had inherited. A son, named Maurice after her father, was born the following year. Although determined to be a model wife, Sand quickly realised that the unimaginative, unintellectual Casimir was not the soul mate she sought. In 1825 she and Casimir and the son went to join friends in Cauterets, a fashionable new spa in the Hautes Pyrenees. Here she formed a close friendship with a young lawyer, Aurelien de Seze. De Seze awakened her need for intellectual and emotional stimulus. Back home, she began a letter-journal to de Seze, and she and Casimir began to drift apart.
During the Revolution of 1830, declaring herself a Republican, she began an affair with Jules Sandeau, a nineteen year old law student. In 1831 she left Nohant to join Sandeau in Paris. In an attempt to earn a living from literature, they wrote stories together under the pseudonym Jules Sand. When they appeared in Le Figaro, they were praised by the novelist [a fan was] Balzac*. Sand had been returning to Nohant for long visits to be with her children and in 1832, bought her daughter back to Paris and published the first novel, "Indiana,” under her own pen-name, George Sand. The novel was an immediate success so, in 1832, she wrote "Valentine" and, in 1833, "Lelia,” exploring the idea of freedom from social constraints. The affair with Sandeau ended and, in 1833, she had a short and humiliating affair with the writer, [an affair with] Merimee*.
Sand then embarked on an affair with [an affair with] de Musset* , nine years her junior. At the end of the year they set out for Italy, travelling from Genoa to Livorno, then to Pisa and on to Venice, where she wrote "Leone Leoni.” [a fan was] Henry James* later described this novel as "wonderful." In 1834, she enjoyed success with another novel, "Jacques," and the following year, her affair with de Musset ended. Sand thought about killing herself, saying that her life as a woman was over. [knew] Liszt* advised her that the only man she should love was God. [painted by] Delacroix*, who painted her portrait, advised giving full rein to her grief over de Musset.
In 1836, she met Liszt's colleague, [an affair with] Chopin* and they became lovers in 1838. Sand and Chopin spent the winter of 1837-38 with her children at Valldemosa, a mountain village in the north of the island of Mallorca. Chopin, diagnosed with tuberculosis, continued work on his "Preludes,” while Sand completed "Spiridion.” On their return to France, they settled into a routine of summer at Nohant and winter in Paris. She wrote the play, "Cosima" and a novel, "Horace,” which reflected the new interest in working-class life. In 1846, she wrote "Lucrezia Floriana,” which she based on her affair with Chopin, not naming him, but alluding to him in a clearly unflattering way. The following year their relationship ended.
By this time Sand was writing her rustic novels "La Mare au Diable" and "Francois le Champi," both stories in which love overcomes the constraints of social class and custom. During the Revolution of 1848, she was involved in the pro-Republican movement and was delighted when the government declared universal suffrage, the abolition of slavery and of the death penalty for extreme political acts. She occupied herself with advancing the cause, and writing propaganda articles. She requested a passport for [helped] Mazzini*, the Italian radical, who was an old friend. She also proposed a system to [sent idea to] Hippolyte Carnot*, the minister of education, which proposed that selected workers should be sent to spread republican propaganda in the provinces.
A free performance at the Theatre of the Republic, for which she wrote a play, "Le Roi attend,” promoting a republic, was warmly received. She was given a luncheon by [entertained by] Monckton Milnes*, an English Member of Parliament, who was a literary patron and long-standing acquaintance. The lunch guests included [met] de Vigny*, Prosper Merimee and Alexis de Tocqueville, who later became Minister for Foreign Affairs.
When the Revolution was over, Sand lived a less active life, settling into a relationship with the engraver Alexander Manceau, thirteen years younger than she and devoted to her. The relationship lasted until his death in 1865. A letter from Mazzini introduced [sonnets from] Elizabeth Barrett Browning*, an English poetess, who addressed two sonnets to Sand. Elizabeth's poet husband, [disliked by] Robert Browning*, disliked her.
She fell out of step with literary fashion, supporting the idealists rather than the realists. In an essay called "Realism,” written in 1857, she discussed the work of [disliked work of] Flaubert*, the author of "Emma Bovary.” She made it clear that she disliked how he had depicted Emma, perhaps because Flaubert had written, in a patronising way, that his heroine read George Sand. However, he and Sand corresponded and later became excellent friends. Her autobiography was published in 1854-55 and, after a peaceful old age, she died in 1876.
Extra Connections: Visited the writer [visited] Hugo*
Wrote and directed “The Plum of the Season,” starring actress Sarah [knew] Bernhardt*
Gave a rave review to [raved about] Richardson’s* “Clarissa.”
Was a fan of the tragedian [a fan of] Macready*
Assessment: Sand was acclaimed as a writer during her lifetime but her literary reputation has not lasted. She is better known for her many love affairs, particularly that with Chopin, as well as for her attempts to improve women's social position.
Oneliner: Georges Sand (a woman), author and lover
Bibliography:
- Winegarten, Renee, The Double Life of George Sand, Woman and Writer, A Critical Biography, Basic Books Inc., New York, 1978.
Father: Maurice Dupin
Mother: Sophie-Victoire Delaborde
Siblings: Two brothers, who died in infancy.
Spouse: Casimir Dudevant
Children: Maurice; Solange