George Sand: A Brave Man, The Most Womanly Woman

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Central PQ2412 DH91

Oxford: Berg

Despite a ‘blotchy formal education’, Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin (1804-76) became one of France’s most famous authors, writing under the pseudonym, George Sand. During her lifetime she authored over 100 works, was an active Socialist, and gave away over a million pounds to charity. Sand has been compared to Byron, and some think she was a better writer than Dickens and Victor Hugo. However, it seems she is more often remembered for her love affairs with the likes of composer Chopin, and poet Alfred Musset; her penchant for smoking cigars and wearing men’s clothing; and her rumoured lesbian liaisons. An immense talent, Sand influenced such greats as Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Balzac.