After Sand's spirited defence of Flaubert's novel Salammbo in 1863, the two writers became friends. Both were excited by the attentions of the other, despite their difference in age, and their affection developed into eager and frequent correspondence. So began not a love affair, but a deep friendship and one of the great epistolary masterpieces of modern times. Chere Maitre was first performed at Sharon Stage, Connecticut and later in New York , in London and at the Melbourne Arts Festival with Peter Eyre and Irene Worth. It was broadcast on Radio 4 as Dear Master.