Sophie Cottin

a.k.a. Maria Sophie (nee) Ristaud Cottin, Madame Cottin

Author Code: FMSC

Sophie married a rich banker when she was seventeen, only to be widowed three years later. Although much of Cottin's fortune was lost during the French Revolution, there remained enough to give Sophie a decent life while she pursued a writing career. In 1799, she published Claire d'Albe which enjoyed popular success. Parts of her works were later adapted as plays, such as Malek Adhel (1818), an extract from Mathilde (1805). Sophie is said to have committed suicide at the early age of 37 during a bout of depression. Her other works include Malvina (1801), Amelie Mansfield (1803) and Elizabeth: The Exiles of Siberia (1806).