MonCri

Who is Alexandre Dumas?

Dumas Alexandre Dumas was a famous French writer during the 19th Century. His works, among Monte Cristo include The Three Musketeers (1844), Queen Margot (1845), and The Black Tulip (1850) as well as an array of plays and articles. Dumas is quite possibly one of the best known French authors even to this day. He was born in Villes-Cotterets, France, on July 24th 1802, son to a mulatto French general and nobleman and a white woman. Thanks to his father's success in the French military, Dumas was born into a well-to-do family but it didn't last for long. His father had died when Dumas was only four years old, leaving his wife and son to live in poverty.

Dumas However, Dumas worked as a notary clerk and gained the ability to write with elegance. Wanting to leave poverty behind, he embarked on a journey to Paris and soon found work in Palais Royal with Duc D'Orleans (later King Louise Phillpe) thanks to his beautiful writing. Dumas enjoyed great success as a playwriter, but even more so a serialized novelist. He would earn a fortune with his work, but unfortunately Dumas never could restrain his spending habits. Spending his money on friends, women, and even building expensive edifices like the mansion of Monte Cristo, he would often find himself broke. As a fruit to one of his affairs, he had an illegitimate son that never accepted him as a father.

Dumas Dumas had an adventurous life, just like the characters of his stories. From enjoying riches to suffering poverty and sickness, his life was anything but static. However, he did lead a rough life, and because of his biracial identity, he suffered from overt racism. But this never stopped his imagination. It is said that Dumas wrote his stories to live the life he never had. From unlimited riches like in the Count of Monte Cristo to a daring mulatto in Georges (1843), he would often write about his own fantasies. Even so, his works have been one of the most read and loved stories of the time and today. Dumas died on December 5th, 1870 from a heart-attack.

Would you like to know more?

This is but a very brief summary of Alexander Dumas' life. If you would like to study Dumas further, please explore the links below.

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