Becoming George: The Invention of George Sand

Poet and biographer Sampson (Starlight Wood) offers a vivid biography of French writer George Sand. Born Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil in Paris in 1804, Sand came of age during a time of great political tension between revolutionary and monarchical forces in France. Though she was known for moving through literary circles dominated by men and dressing in menswear, her life was often spent tending to familial responsibilities as a wife and mother, Sampson reveals, and her writing was deeply concerned with the struggles women faced. Sand was prolific, penning more than 70 novels as well as stage plays and an autobiography before her death in 1876. At a time when divorce was rare, Sand legally separated from her husband in 1836 and was granted custody of her children and ownership of her property in the settlement. Though she never remarried and thus remained legally independent, she often organized her life around the men she was in a relationship with, to the point of financially supporting some of them. Still, Sampson keeps Sand front and center, punctuating each chapter with poignant meditations on paintings and photographs taken of the writer. The result is a panoramic chronicle of a complex life. Photos. (June)