As Meninas Exemplares

This film is based on the book by the Countess de Ségur, the name by which Sophie Feodorovna Rostopchine became known. She was born on August 1, 1799, in St. Petersburg, in imperial Russia, into an aristocratic family. Her childhood was spent in Voronovo, a magnificent estate belonging to her family. Her education was rigorous and included the study of foreign languages, with a focus on French. In 1817, the family was forced into exile in Paris, where Sophie met Eugène de Ségur, whom she married in 1819, having eight children together. The Countess de Ségur began by inventing stories for her grandchildren and only wrote her first book at the age of 58. She would go on to publish about 20 books, the most well-known being "The Disasters of Sofia," "The Exemplary Girls," "The Holidays," and "Memoirs of a Donkey." These works made her internationally famous and are part of the imagination of various generations around the world. She died in Paris in 1874 and is considered one of the most important French-language writers of the 19th century. The works of the Countess de Ségur continue to be read, published, and adapted into other artistic forms, such as theater and film.