George Sand facts for kids
Amandine Aurore Lucile Dupin, later Baroness (French: baronne) Dudevant (born July 1, 1804 – died June 8, 1876), was a famous French writer. She is best known by her pen name, George Sand. She was also an early supporter of women's rights.
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George Sand's Early Life
George Sand's father, Maurice Dupin, was the grandson of a very important French military leader, Maurice, Comte de Saxe. Her mother, Sophie-Victoire Delaborde, was an ordinary woman. George Sand was born in Paris.
She spent most of her childhood with her grandmother, Marie Aurore de Saxe. Her grandmother lived on her large estate called Nohant, in the French region of Berry. Sand later used this beautiful countryside setting in many of her novels.
In 1822, when she was 19, she married Baron Casimir Dudevant. They had two children, Maurice (born 1823) and Solange (born 1828). In 1831, she decided to leave her husband. In 1835, they officially separated.
George Sand's Public Image
George Sand started wearing men's clothes in public. This was very unusual for women at that time and caused people to talk about her. She said that men's clothes were stronger and cheaper than women's. They were also more comfortable. These clothes allowed her to move around Paris more freely than other women of her social class.
Sand also smoked in public, which was another shock to society. In her time, women, especially those from upper classes, were not expected to smoke. These actions were very different from the strict social rules of the 19th century.
George Sand's Relationships
George Sand had several important relationships throughout her life. These included friendships with writers like Jules Sandeau and Alfred de Musset. She also had a long relationship with the famous composer Frédéric Chopin from 1837 to 1847.
Later in her life, she became good friends with the writer Gustave Flaubert. They wrote many letters to each other, even though they had different personalities. She also had a close friendship with the actress Marie Dorval.
In Mallorca, an island in Spain, you can still visit an old monastery. George Sand spent the winter of 1838–39 there with Chopin and her children. She wrote about this trip in her book Un Hiver à Majorque (A Winter in Majorca).
Chopin and Sand ended their relationship two years before he died. This happened after a disagreement about her daughter Solange's marriage.
George Sand's Writing Career
George Sand began her writing journey with the writer Jules Sandeau. They wrote some stories together and signed them "Jules Sand." When she wrote her first independent novel, Indiana (1832), she chose the pen name George Sand, which became very famous.
Her first published novel, Rose et Blanche (1831), was written with Jules Sandeau.
She often wrote about the countryside, drawing from her own childhood experiences. Some of her well-known rural novels include La Mare au Diable (1846), François le Champi (1847–1848), and La Petite Fadette (1849). Her book A Winter in Mallorca described her time there with Chopin.
Other important novels she wrote are Indiana (1832), Lélia (1833), Mauprat (1837), and Consuelo (1842–1843).
She also wrote plays and autobiographical works, like Histoire de ma vie (History of my life) from 1855. She often performed her plays in a small private theater at her Nohant estate. George Sand also wrote literary reviews and political essays. One of her most famous quotes is: "There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved."
Many famous people spoke about George Sand. The novelist Ivan Turgenev said, "What a brave man she was, and what a good woman." The poet Alfred de Musset called her "The most womanly woman."
George Sand's Death
George Sand died at her home in Nohant, France, on June 8, 1876. She was 71 years old. She was buried in the grounds of her home. In 2004, there were discussions about moving her remains to the Panthéon in Paris, a special building where many famous French people are buried.
George Sand in Popular Culture
George Sand's life and works have inspired many movies and TV shows:
- A Song to Remember (1945) is a movie about Chopin and George Sand.
- Notorious Woman (1974) was a TV miniseries about her life.
- The band Ambrosia recorded a song called "Danse With Me, George (Chopin's Plea)" in 1976.
- Impromptu (1991) is another movie about George Sand, starring Judy Davis.
- Les Enfants du siècle (1999) tells the story of her relationship with Alfred de Musset.
- Chopin (2002) is a Polish movie about Chopin, featuring George Sand.
- In 2007, Celine Dion recorded a song based on a love letter from George Sand.
- The band Meg & Dia have a song inspired by Sand's novel Indiana.
Images for kids
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Portrait of George Sand by Thomas Sully, 1826
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Aurore Dupin meeting General Murat in her uniform, illustrated by H. J. Ford in 1913
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Sand as Mary Magdalene in a sketch by Louis Boulanger
See also
In Spanish: George Sand para niños
