Comics · Delcourt · 15 volumes · Age 8+
Written by Audrey Alwett · Art by Nora Moretti · Colours by Claudia Boccato, Marina Duclos, Claudia Palescandolo and Cytros Treb
The little girl who never lowered her gaze.
Sara has always lived in India, until her father sends her to England to complete her education at Miss Minchin’s select boarding school. Immensely rich, thanks to a fortune built on automatons, Sara inspires friendship and jealousy. Hatred flares all the more because Sara has every quality of a princess. Until the day her father decides to invest his fortune in a mysterious diamond mine…
Freely adapted from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess, the series then follows Sara as an adult, a business leader and brilliant engineer, in a Belle Époque world tinged with steampunk, in homage to Jules Verne. From the fogs of London to the shores of India, from the misery of attic rooms to fascinating automatons…
Covers © Nora Moretti · Delcourt
The series is divided into cycles of about four albums, each of which is a complete story.
The adaptation of A Little Princess. Ruined by her father’s death, Sara becomes a servant at the boarding school. A fierce duel begins with Miss Minchin: a starving child with nothing against the all-powerful figure of authority.
The years have passed. Sara needs only one thing to be happy: to take back the automaton factory that made her family’s name. She returns to India under a hidden identity to become a brilliant engineer… The homage to Jules Verne begins.
How it began
Nora Moretti and Audrey Alwett met in January 2007, at the Angoulême festival. The writer had brought a project very close to her heart: a free adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel. It was love at first sight, professional as much as personal. When Audrey left the meeting, she was certain of one thing: the project would be done with Nora or not at all. The first volume came out in 2009.
The art of costume
“Clothing is never trivial; it carries powerful social symbolism. Even before the first line of dialogue, a character is already telling a story through the way they are dressed.”
“A free adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s classic, this vast comics series aims to stay true to the original’s modernity.”
“Extremely lively, extremely rich artwork, and at the same time incredibly unified. […] A real feast for the eyes.”
“Everything about this book is beautiful. The story is as lovely as the original, with enough originality to surprise and charm all over again; the art is magnificent, the colours soft and perfect.”
The genesis of the series, the characters, the art of costume and the homage to Jules Verne. Format: 12 forex panels (60 × 84 cm). Hire from Delcourt: €60.
Drawings © Nora Moretti · Delcourt
Nora Moretti’s drawing is projected live on screen and gradually comes to life before the audience’s eyes, while Ameylia Saad Wu plays and sings her own compositions on the harp. A Princesse Sara version and a Le Jardin des fées version are available. All ages, 1 hour.
Photo: Audrey Alwett
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