COMTESSE DE SEGUR
French author (1799-1874)
Biography:
La Comtesse de Segur was born Sophie Rostopchine in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1799. The family moved to Paris in 1817, where Sophie met and married Eugene de Segur. She began writing tales for her children, Camille and Madeleine de Malavet, but very soon her stories became known outside her house. Her characters are real children, who get dirty, fight, and make foolish and even cruel mistakes.
Her books, published by Hachette in the famous "bibliotheque rose" series (a collection of short novels for young peolpe, mainly schoolgirls), were immensely popular. They included fairy tales, novels, a collection of plays, and religious works based on the Bible. Indeed, all of her works for children are still in print today.
Although few of her works have been translated into English, tehy are considered to be classics in children's literature. Among them, notice Pauvre Blaise (Paris, 1862), Le Général Dourakine (Paris, 1864), Un bon petit diable (Paris, 1865), Le mauvais génie (Paris, 1867) and the trilogy Les malheures de Sophie (1864), Les Petits Filles modèles (1865) and Les Vacances (1858).
Comtesse de Ségur, author of illustrated works:
Old French fairy Tales, illustrated by Sterrett, Penn, 1920.
Sophie, the story of a bad little girl, translated from the French by Marguerite Fellows Melcher, illustrated by Maginel Wright Barney, New York, Knopf, 1929.
The Angel Inn (L'Auberge de l'Ange-Gardien), translated by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Pat Marriott, Stemmer House Publishers, 1978.
Rare Book of Monkey the Donkey, translated by Kathleen Watson, illustrated by Vernon Stokes, Jarrold & sons, 1916.
Forest of lilacs, illustrated by Nicole Claveloux, Harlin Quist, 1969.
The enchanted forest, illustrated by Gustave Dore, New York, Atheneum, 1974.
Les Petites filles modèles, illustrated by Bertall, 21 ill., Hachette.
Les Vacances, illustrated by Bertall, 31 ill., Hachette
Les Petites filles modèles, illustrated by Véronique Boiry, Hachette, 1983.
Histoire de Blondine, illustrated by Mette Ivers, Hatier, 1989.
Les vacances, illustrated by Véronique Boiry, Hachette, 1983.
Les vacances, illustrated by Nathalie Dieterlé, Nathan, 2000.
Un Bon Petit Diable, illustrated by Horace Castelli, 100 ill., Hachette, 1865.
Critical analysis on Comtesse de Ségur:
Beaussant, La Comtesse de Ségur ou l'enfance de l'art, 1988.
F. Bluche, Le Petit monde de la comtesse de Ségur, 1988.
M.-L. AUDIBERTI, Sophie de Ségur, l'inoubliable comtesse. Ses anges, ses diables, Paris, Stock, 1989.
C. BEAUSSANT, La comtesse de Ségur ou l'Enfance de l'art, Paris, Robert Laffont, 1988.
P. BLETON, La Vie sociale sous le Second Empire. Un étonnant témoignage de la comtesse de Ségur, Paris, les Éditions ouvrières, 1963..
G. BOURDIN (dir.) et L. LE ROC'H MORGÈRE (dir.), L'Orne de la comtesse de Ségur, fiction et réalité, actes du colloque d'Alençon, 14 décembre 1991, précédé des actes du colloque de Cerisy-la-Salle, 6 - 8 octobre 1989, Alençon, Conseil général de l'Orne - Archives départementales de l'Orne 1992.
G. BOURDIN et L. LE ROC'H MORGÈRE, L'Orne de la comtesse de Ségur, fiction et réalité, cat. de l'exposition, Alençon, 1991, Conseil général de l'Orne - Archives départementales de l'Orne, 1991.
M.-F. DORAY, La comtesse de Ségur : une étrange paroisienne, Paris-Marseille, Rivages, 1990.
H. DUFOUR, Comtesse de Ségur, née Rostropchine, Paris, Flammarion, 1998, coll. "Grandes biographies". rééd.
Y.-M. ERGAC et M.-J. STRICH, La comtesse de Ségur, Paris, Perrin, 1990.
L. KREYDER, L'Enfance des saints et des autres. Essai sur la comtesse de Ségur, Paris, Schena-Nizet, 1987.
C. MISRAHI, La Comtesse de Ségur ou la mère médecin, suivi du texte de la comtesse de Ségur, La Santé des enfants, Paris, Denoël, 1991, coll. "Espace analytique".
On the Internet:
A site about her in French