Sand, George, pseudonym of Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin, Baronne Dudevant 1804-76
French novelist

George Sand was born in Paris, the illegitimate daughter of Marshal de Saxe, who died when she was still a child. She lived mostly with her grandmother, and inherited her property. At the age of 18 she married Casimir, Baron Dudevant, and had two children, but after nine years left him and went to Paris with her children to make her living by literature in the Bohemian society of the period (1831). She scandalized bourgeois society for many years with her unconventional ways and her love affairs.

Her first lover was Jules Sandeau, from whose surname she took her pseudonym, and with whom she wrote a novel, Rose et Blanche (1831). She was always interested in poets and artists, including Prosper M�rim�e, Alfred de Musset, with whom she travelled in Italy, and Chopin, who was her lover for 10 years. Later her attention turned to philosophers and politicians, such as F�licit� de Lamennais, the socialist Pierre Leroux, and the republican Michel de Bourges. After 1848 she settled down as the quiet 'ch�telaine of Nohant', and spent the rest of her life writing and travelling.

Bibliography: Her work can be divided into four periods. When she first went to Paris, her candidly erotic novels, Indiana (1832), Valentine (1832), L�lia (1833) and Jacques (1834), emanated the Romantic extravagance of the time, and declared themselves against marriage. In the next period her philosophical and political teachers inspired the socialistic rhapsodies of Spiridion (1838, Eng trans 1842), Consuelo (1842-44, Eng trans 1846), La Comtesse de Rudolstadt (1843-45, Eng trans The Countess of Rudolstadt, 1847) and Le Meunier d'Angibault (1845, Eng trans The Miller of Angibault, 1847). Between the two periods came the fine novel Mauprat (1837, Eng trans 1847). Then she began to turn towards the studies of rustic life, La Mare au diable (1846, Eng trans The Haunted Marsh, 1848), Fran�ois le Champi, (1847-48, Eng trans Francis the Waif, 1889) and La Petite Fadette (1849, Eng trans Little Fadette, 1850) which are considered her best works. The fourth period comprises the miscellaneous works of her last 20 years, some of them, such as Les Beaux messieurs de Bois-Dor� (1858, Eng trans The Gallant Lords of Bois-Dor�, 1890), Le Marquis de Villemer (1860-61, Eng trans The Marquis of Villemer, 1871) and Mademoiselle la Quintinie (1863), being of high quality. Her complete works (in over 100 volumes), besides novels and plays, include the autobiographical Histoire de ma vie (1855, 'The Story of My Life'), Elle et lui (on her relations with de Musset, 1859, Eng trans He and She, 1900), and her letters, published after her death.

Bibliography: Renee Winegarten, The Double Life of George Sand, Woman and Writer (1978); Andr� Maurois, L�lia: The Life of George Sand (1953); M Louise Pailleron, George Sand (2 vols, 1938-43).