George Sand, born Amandine Aurora Lucile Dupin, was an outstanding novelist of the 19th century. Her novel «Consuelo» was first published in 1843 in the magazine «Independent Review» founded by the writer herself. The reaction to this work both in France and in other countries was enthusiastic. Today, «Consuelo» is considered one of George Sand's best works. It is a classic of French literature. The future writer was born into a family of a high-ranking military officer and the daughter of a bird catcher. George Sand partially conveyed her ideas, experiences, and life impressions to the main character of her novel - the singer Consuelo. The writer was concerned about social inequality from a young age, and this theme was reflected in her literary work.
Consuelo is a commoner who grew up in poverty on the streets of Venice. However, thanks to her talent, she makes acquaintances in high society, reflecting much on the injustice of the established order. The themes of art are raised in «Consuelo», illuminating the influence of external circumstances and internal contradictions within a person, and the relationship between creativity and religion; the role of women in society is also repeatedly touched upon and discussed. At the same time, the court life of the 18th century is described, with attention paid to the peculiarities of musical art. The novel features many characters that can be recognized as real historical figures. These include maestro Nicola Porpora, composer Joseph Haydn, Empress Maria Theresa, barons Friedrich and Franz von Trenck, and others. The coverage of acute social issues, writing style, and non-trivial plots of George Sand delighted her contemporaries. Turgenev praised the writer's style, noting that she had «a gift for conveying the most subtle, most fleeting impressions».
Maurice Sand, also known as Jean François Maurice Arnold Dudevant, was the eldest child of George Sand and her only son, born during her marriage to Baron François Casimir Dudevant. Like his mother, Maurice Sand deeply immersed himself in creativity and found himself in literature and visual arts. His first steps on this path were guided by the outstanding representative of the romantic movement in European painting, Eugène Delacroix. Sand illustrated French folk legends and fairy tales. Later, he began to prefer graphics. Maurice illustrated some of his mother's works, including her most famous novel - «Consuelo».
