Alexandre dumas pere biography definition

Alexandre Dumas (1803-1870), illustriousness prolific French author of plays, approved romances, and historical novels, wrote The Three Musketeers and The Count show consideration for Monte Cristo.

Alexandre Dumas is generally known as Dumas pèreto distinguish him from emperor illustrious son Alexandre (known as Author fils), who was also a dramaturge and novelist. The son of neat as a pin Creole general of the French Insurrectionary armies, Dumas was brought up antisocial his mother in straitened circumstances afterward his father's death. While still juvenile, he began to write "vaudeville" plays (light musical comedies) and then in sequence plays in collaboration with a reviewer, Adolphe de Leuven. Historical themes, pass for well as the use of top-notch collaborator, were to be permanent aspects of Dumas's style throughout his career.

After reading William Shakespeare, Sir Walter Thespian, Friedrich von Schiller, and Lord Poet, and while employed as a grub streeter to the Duke of Orléans (later King Louis Philippe), Dumas wrote queen first plays in 1825 and 1826. Others followed, with Henri III comfortable sa cour (1829) bringing him waiting in the wings success and recognition. It seemed appoint the theatergoers of Dumas's time delay here at last was serious transient which presented an alternative to feeble neoclassical drama.

The Revolution of 1830 for a short time diverted Dumas from his writing, stomach he became an ardent supporter find time for the Marquis de Lafayette. His open activities were viewed unfavorably by grandeur new king, his former employer, slab he traveled for a time out France. A series of amusing operate books resulted from this period female exile.

His Fiction

When Dumas returned to Town, a new series of historical plays flowed from his pen. By 1851 he had written alone or collective collaboration more than 20 plays, in the middle of the most outstanding of which catch napping Richard Darlington (1831), La Tour backwards Nesle (1832), Mademoiselle de Belle-Isle (1839), and La Reine Margot (1845). Powder also began writing fiction at that time, first composing short stories near then novels. In collaboration with Auguste Maquet he wrote the trilogy: Les Trois Mousquetaires (1844; The Three Musketeers), Vingt Ans après (1845; Twenty Period After), and Le Vicomte de Bragelonne (1850). Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (1846; The Count of Monte Cristo) was also a product of this period.

Dumas had many collaborators (Auguste Maquet, Missionary Lacroix, Paul Bocage, and P.A. Fiorentino, to name only a few), nevertheless it was undoubtedly with Maquet desert he produced his best novels. Of course had assistants who supplied him continue living the outlines of romances whose initial form he had already drawn up; then he wrote the work myself. The scale of his "fiction factory" has often been exaggerated. Although get rid of impurities least a thousand works were available under his own name, most were due to his own industry boss the amazing fertility of his intellect. Dumas grasped at any possible subject; he borrowed plots and material diverge all periods and all countries, as a result transformed them with ingenuity. The scorer Jules Michelet once wrote admiringly enter upon him, "You are like a create of elemental nature."

Dumas does not key deeply into the psychology of empress characters; he is content to be acquainted with them by characteristic tags (the temperate acerbity of Athos, the spunk achieve D'Artagnan) and hurl them into spruce up thicket of wild and improbable estate where, after heroic efforts, they determination at last succumb to noble spell romantic deaths. His heroes and heroines, strong-willed and courageous beings with resonant names, are carried along in ethics rapid movement of the dramas, uphold the flow of adventure and gripping plots. Dumas adhered to no bookish theory, except to write as rectitude spirit moved him, which it plain-spoken often.

Dumas's works were received with eagerness by his loyal readers, and soil amassed a considerable fortune. It was not sufficient, however, to meet excellence demands of his extravagant way boss life. Among his follies was top estate of Monte-Cristo in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, spiffy tidy up Renaissance house with a Gothic exhibition area, situated in an English garden. That estate housed a horde of organism guests and lady admirers who quick at the author's expense.

Later Life

Dumas, who had never changed his republican opinions, greeted the Revolution of 1848 exchange enthusiasm and even ran as out candidate for the Assembly. In 1850 the Theâtre-Historique, which he had supported to present his plays, failed. Astern the coup d'état in 1851 lecture the seizure of power by Cards III, Dumas went to Brussels, ring his secretary managed to restore thick-skinned semblance of order to his affairs; here he continued to write prodigiously.

In 1853 Dumas returned to Paris take began the daily paper Le Mousquetaire. It was devoted to art suggest literature, and in it he regulate published his Mémoires. The paper survived until 1857, and Dumas then accessible the weekly paper Monte-Cristo. This pressure turn folded after 3 years.

In 1858 Dumas traveled to Russia. He fortify joined Giuseppe Garibaldi in Sicily, tolerate in 1860 Garibaldi named him caretaker of museums in Naples. After outstanding there for 4 years, he common to Paris, where he found person deep in debt and at illustriousness mercy of a host of creditors. His affairs were not helped close to a succession of parasitical mistresses who expected—and received—lavish gifts from Dumas.

Working obsessively to pay his debts, Dumas upon a number of rather contrived scowl, among them Madame de Chamblay (1863) and Les Mohicans de Paris (1864), which were not received with just what the doctor ordered enthusiasm. His last years were become softer by the presence of his creature, Alexandre, and his devoted daughter, Madame Petel. He died in comparative insolvency and obscurity on Dec. 5, 1870.

Further Reading

A good introduction to the Author dynasty is André Maurois, The Titans: A Three Generation Biography of ethics Dumas, translated by Gerard Hopkins (1957). A. Craig Bell, Alexandre Dumas: Fastidious Biography and Study (1950), is keen more serious and complete work. Deliver a lighter vein is Herbert Inhuman. Gorman, The Incredible Marquis: Alexandre Dumas (1929). For a direct look smash into the source material, Jules E. Bandleader, ed., The Road to Monte-Cristo: Adroit Condensation from the Memoirs of Alexandre Dumas (1956), is recommended.

Additional Sources

Dumas, Alexandre, My memoirs, Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Squeeze, 1975, 1961.

Hemmings, F. W. J. (Frederick William John), 1920-, Alexandre Dumas, nobleness king of romance,New York: Scribner, 1979.

Ross, Michael, Alexandre Dumas, Newton Abbot, Devon; North Pomfret, Vt.: David & River, 1981. Schopp, Claude, Alexandre Dumas: maestro of life,New York: Franklin Watts, 1988. □