Christine Balint
Ophelia's Fan
A Novel
"Reconstructs the vibrantly intoxicating
atmosphere of the theatrical world in
the early nineteenth century. . . . Lavishly
romantic."
—Booklist
CHRISTINE BALINT reimagines the bittersweet life
of Harriet Smithson, the Irish tragedienne who
inspired Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. With the arrival
of Charles Kemble's English Theatre troupe in Paris
in 1827, the Odéon Theatre is awash with the drama
and music of Shakespeare. Harriet is Ophelia. The
French Romantics swoon, and high-society women
plait straw in their hair in honor of her mad maid.
The fiery composer Hector Berlioz falls in love, and
their passionate affair culminates in a tumultuous
marriage.
"Balint's research is painstaking, and she delicately
recreates the theater world of London and Paris in
the early 19th century. . . . The fragmented narrative
and frequent time shifts . . . add delicious tension to
this portrait of the difficult relationship between
Berlioz and his erstwhile muse."—Publishers Weekly
"Original and daring, telling the story of Berlioz's
muse with passion, sensitivity, and grace. Enchanting."—
Helen Humphreys, author of The Lost Garden
CHRISTINE BALINT is the author of the
highly praised The Salt Letters. She was born in
1975 in Melbourne, Australia, and holds a
Ph.D. from the University of Melbourne.
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Also Available:
The Salt Letters
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