Fifty-eight years of age marked the start of the literary output for Sophie Rostopchine, Comtesse de Ségur, a Russian-born writer who settled in France. Producing a steady stream of children's literature, she crafted stories that established her reputation within the French publishing market between 1857 and 1872, primarily through the Bibliothèque rose illustrée series by Hachette.
Early Life and Migration
Born in Saint Petersburg in 1799, Sophie was the daughter of Count Fyodor Rostopchin, a lieutenant-general and Minister of Foreign Affairs. During 1812, her father served as the governor of Moscow. The family departed Russia in 1814, travelling through the Duchy of Warsaw, the German Confederation, and the Italian Peninsula. They reached France in 1817 during the Bourbon Restoration. It was in this period that Sophie and her mother transitioned from Eastern Orthodoxy to Catholicism.
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In her father's Paris salon, she met Eugène Henri Raymond, Count of Ségur, whom she married in July 1819. The couple lived at the château des Nouettes, located near L'Aigle in Orne. Their union produced eight children, including Nathalie de Ségur and the father of the historian Pierre de Ségur. Her husband, who eventually became a Peer of France in 1830, was frequently absent from their domestic life.
Literary Contributions
Her body of work encompasses titles such as Les Deux Nigauds, Mémoires d'un âne, Quel amour d'enfant !, François le bossu, and L'Auberge de l’Ange-Gardien. Perhaps her most enduring publication is Sophie's Misfortunes, titled Les Malheurs de Sophie in French. These works were later consolidated in 1990 under the title Œuvres de la comtesse de Ségur, published by Robert Laffont within their Bouquins collection.
Final Years
Sophie Rostopchine died on 8 February 1874. Her death occurred on the rue Casimir-Perier in Paris. She was buried in Pluneret, ending a life that spanned from the end of the eighteenth century into the latter half of the nineteenth century.
Fast facts
- Born: 1799, Saint Petersburg
- Died: 1874, Paris
- Primary language: French
- Nationality: French
- Notable work: Sophie's Misfortunes
- First novel published: Age 58
- Burial site: Pluneret
Questions readers ask
What was the Comtesse de Ségur's religious background?
She was born into Eastern Orthodoxy but converted to Catholicism after moving to France.
Where were her novels originally published?
They were published between 1857 and 1872 by Hachette in the Bibliothèque rose illustrée.
Achievements
- Notable work: Sophie's Misfortunes
- Notable work: Good Little Girls
- Notable work: L'Auberge de l’Ange-Gardien
- Notable work: François le bossu
- Genres: children's and young adult literature, fairy tale and short novel
