A Winter in Majorca

A Winter in Majorca (whose original title in French is Un hiver à Majorque) is an autobiographical travel novel written by George Sand, at the time in a relationship with Frédéric Chopin. Although published in 1842, it appeared for the first time in 1841 in the Revue des deux Mondes. In it, Sand relates the details of her trip and stay with Chopin on the island of Majorca, due to the illness of the pianist. Sand, Chopin, and Sand's two children stayed in the charterhouse of Valldemossa for a few months, from the end of 1838 until February 1839, during which time they hoped that Chopin's tuberculosis would improve. However, the winter was hard and his health did not improve and so they quickly returned to Barcelona and eventually to Marseille and then Paris. Summary: an uninhabited island Consistent with her male pen name identity, Sand portrays the entire visit as if she were a male friend of Chopin's. In winter of 1838, the author takes the boat to Majorca, and docks at Palma. His children and Frédéric Chopin, seriously ill, accompany him. He had to stay in the city, then at the Carthusian monastery of Valldemossa. The food is expensive, includes a lot (too much) of pig and the peasants are as unpleasant as dishonest. The smell of bad olive oil stinks.