Chopin's Funeral

Years ago I saw a movie called Impromptu, in it Judy Davis plays George Sand, the 19th Century French feminist novelist, in her pursuit of Chopin. This independent film highlights the difficult task of seducing Chopin that Sand took to with determination and quite a lot of comedy. I loved this film and immediately set out to read George’s books only to find that they are of the worst sort...more

Years ago I saw a movie called Impromptu, in it Judy Davis plays George Sand, the 19th Century French feminist novelist, in her pursuit of Chopin. This independent film highlights the difficult task of seducing Chopin that Sand took to with determination and quite a lot of comedy. I loved this film and immediately set out to read George’s books only to find that they are of the worst sort of dribble that today is considered journalism by People Magazine. The appeal of her novels during her time was that they were essentially gossip rags that detailed the exploits of George and her famous friends, but literature they were not.This book however, tells the story of Chopin’s death after he left George. Ravaged by tuberculosis and George, Chopin died with only George’s daughter for company. Detailing the painful end that came to Chopin this book was both saddening and striking. This genius met his end aching and lonely. Eisler paints her picture so clearly you can’t help but see it.   hide

The prose manages somehow to be both overblown and excessively dull at the same time, but I learned a bit about Chopin, which was the point.