How about a weekend in Nohant?

There might be space for a couple more guests next week at Madingley Hall if you mention my name, who knows…We will be visiting George Sand’s beautiful house in Berry where she grew up and died in the 19th century.

We’ll learn about the life she led amongst family and friends as a woman and as an artist. Amongst the friends she entertained in Nohant were the likes of Balzac, Turgenev, Dumas, Flaubert, Chopin or Delacroix. She is the author of over a hundred novels, a massive correspondence, plays and newspapers articles. She was an accomplished musician, a gifted artist, a passionate social critic, a keen gardener and she made her own jam. Like Balzac and many other contemporary writers such as Dickens or George Eliot she wrote constantly, mostly during the night, sleeping throughout the morning and spending the rest of the day running the house and entertaining her illustrious guests.

Generous with her time and money she supported anyone in need and was called “la bonne dame de Nohant” by the villagers. Well, the place and its owner are definitely worth a detour and I am sure the participants will enjoy meeting her. Check the link for details about the course. 

You can also join Christine of Made in Provence and I at Cook's Barn on Thursday 18th October at 6pm for a "French on your plate" workshop on the Berry region, George Sand's homeland.