SOURCE: "Paris in the Bernhardt Era," in Women and Literature 1779-1982: The Collected Papers of Muriel Bradbook, Vol 2., The Harvester Press, 1982, pp. 69-80.

In the following essay, Bradbrook examines Bernhardt' s social and artistic standing in Paris during her time.

At the service of thanksgiving for 'the greatest actress whom I have called friend'—Edith Evans—her biographer told how he, seeing that she was rapidly failing, took aside his little daughter and prepared her by telling her that Dame Edith was very old and was going to die. The child paused in deep thought, then confidently replied, 'No, I don't think she's going to die. She's not the sort!'

Sarah Bernhardt's words to Ellen Terry, 'There are two people who will never be old. You and I, darling', were echoed when Maurice Rostand wrote her epitaph

Ci-gît Sarah
 Qui survivra.

Sarah Bernhardt, like Edith Evans...