Alexandre Dumas Popular Books

Alexandre Dumas Biography & Facts

Alexandre Dumas (UK: , US: ; French: [alɛksɑ̃dʁ dymɑ]; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie ([dymɑ davi də la pajət(ə)ʁi]), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père, was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the most widely read French authors. Many of his historical novels of adventure were originally published as serials, including The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later. Since the early 20th century, his novels have been adapted into nearly 200 films. Prolific in several genres, Dumas began his career by writing plays, which were successfully produced from the first. He wrote numerous magazine articles and travel books; his published works totalled 100,000 pages. In the 1840s, Dumas founded the Théâtre Historique in Paris. His father, General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti) to Alexandre Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie, a French nobleman, and Marie-Cessette Dumas, an African slave. At age 14, Thomas-Alexandre was taken by his father to France, where he was educated in a military academy and entered the military for what became an illustrious career. Alexandre acquired work with Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, then as a writer, a career that led to his early success. Decades later, after the election of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte in 1851, Dumas fell from favour and left France for Belgium, where he stayed for several years. He moved to Russia for a few years and then to Italy. In 1861, he founded and published the newspaper L'Indépendent, which supported Italian unification. He returned to Paris in 1864. English playwright Watts Phillips, who knew Dumas in his later life, described him as "the most generous, large-hearted being in the world. He also was the most delightfully amusing and egotistical creature on the face of the earth. His tongue was like a windmill – once set in motion, you would never know when he would stop, especially if the theme was himself." Birth and family Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (later known as Alexandre Dumas) was born in 1802 in Villers-Cotterêts in the department of Aisne, in Picardy, France. He had two older sisters, Marie-Alexandrine (born 1794) and Louise-Alexandrine (1796–1797). Their parents were Marie-Louise Élisabeth Labouret, the daughter of an innkeeper, and Thomas-Alexandre Dumas. Thomas-Alexandre had been born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), the mixed-race, natural son of the marquis Alexandre Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie (Antoine), a French nobleman and général commissaire in the artillery of the colony, and Marie-Cessette Dumas, an enslaved woman of Afro-Caribbean ancestry. The two extant primary documents that state a racial identity for Marie-Cessette Dumas refer to her as a "négresse" (a black woman) as opposed to a "mulâtresse" (a woman of visible mixed race). It is unknown whether Marie-Cessette was born in Saint-Domingue or in Africa, nor is it known from which African people her ancestors came. What is known is that, sometime after becoming estranged from his brothers, Antoine purchased Marie-Cessette and her daughter from a previous relationship for "an exorbitant amount" and made Marie-Cessette his concubine. Thomas-Alexandre was the only son born to them, but they had two or three daughters. In 1775, following the death of both his brothers, Antoine left Saint-Domingue for France in order to claim the family estates and the title of Marquis. Shortly before his departure, he sold Marie-Cessette and their two daughters (Adolphe and Jeanette), as well as Marie-Cessette's oldest daughter Marie-Rose (whose father was a different man) to a baron who had recently come from Nantes to settle in Saint Domingue. Antoine however retained ownership of Thomas-Alexandre (his only natural son) and took the boy with him to France. There, Thomas-Alexandre received his freedom and a sparse education at a military school, adequate to enable him to join the French army, there being no question of the mixed-race boy being accepted as his father's heir. Thomas-Alexandre did well in the Army and was promoted to general by the age of 31, the first soldier of Afro-Antilles origin to reach that rank in the French army.The family surname ("de la Pailleterie") was never bestowed upon Thomas-Alexandre, who therefore used "Dumas" as his surname. This is often assumed to have been his mother's surname, but in fact, the surname "Dumas" occurs only once in connection with Marie-Cessette, and that happens in Europe, when Thomas-Alexandre states, while applying for a marriage license, that his mother's name was "Marie-Cessette Dumas". Some scholars have suggested that Thomas-Alexandre devised the surname "Dumas" for himself when he felt the need for one, and that he attributed it to his mother when convenient. "Dumas" means "of the farm" (du mas), perhaps signifying only that Marie-Cessette belonged to the farm property. Career While working for Louis-Philippe, Dumas began writing articles for magazines and plays for the theatre. As an adult, he used the surname of Dumas, as his father had done as an adult. His first play, Henry III and His Court, produced in 1829 when he was 27 years old, met with acclaim. The next year, his second play, Christine, was equally popular. These successes gave him sufficient income to write full-time. In 1830, Dumas participated in the Revolution that ousted Charles X and replaced him with Dumas's former employer, the Duke of Orléans, who ruled as Louis-Philippe, the Citizen King. Until the mid-1830s, life in France remained unsettled, with sporadic riots by disgruntled Republicans and impoverished urban workers seeking change. As life slowly returned to normal, the nation began to industrialise. An improving economy combined with the end of press censorship made the times rewarding for Alexandre Dumas's literary skills. After writing additional successful plays, Dumas switched to writing novels. Although attracted to an extravagant lifestyle and always spending more than he earned, Dumas proved to be an astute marketing strategist as well as a writer. As newspapers were publishing many serial novels, he began producing these. His first serial novel was La Comtesse de Salisbury; Édouard III (July-September 1836). In 1838, Dumas rewrote one of his plays as a successful serial historical novel, Le Capitaine Paul ('Captain Paul'), partly based on the life of the Scottish-American naval officer John Paul Jones. He founded a production studio, staffed with writers who turned out hundreds of stories, all subject to his personal direction, editing, and additions. From 1839 to 1841, Dumas, with the assistance of several friends, compiled Celebrated Crimes, an eight-volume collection of essays on famous criminals and crimes from European history. He featured B.... Discover the Alexandre Dumas popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Alexandre Dumas books.

Best Seller Alexandre Dumas Books of 2024

  • The Count of Monte Cristo synopsis, comments

    The Count of Monte Cristo

    Alexandre Dumas

    Nominated as one of America’s bestloved novels by PBS’s The Great American ReadA popular bestseller since its publication in 1844, The Count of Monte Cristo is one o...

  • Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    Alexandre Dumas

    Henri Troyat

    Fasciné par la vie tumultueuse et féconde d'Alexandre Dumas, Henri Troyat a voulu décrire à la fois la trajectoire pleine de rebondissements d'un génial forçat de l'écriture et réh...

  • The Lady of the Camellias synopsis, comments

    The Lady of the Camellias

    Alexandre Dumas, Liesl Schillinger & Julie Kavanagh

    The landmark novel that inspired Verdi’s opera La Traviata, in a sparkling new translation"One of the greatest love stories of all time," according to Henry James, and the ins...

  • Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    Alexandre Dumas

    Sylvain Ledda

    Je refuse d’être l’esclave d’un appétit quel qu’il soit. Titan des lettres, infatigable travailleur et voyageur dans l’âme, hédoniste constamment nourri par la passion, qu’elle so...

  • Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    Alexandre Dumas

    F. W. J. Hemmings

    The last of Alexandre Dumas's many mistresses, the American actress Adah Menken, called him "the king of romance." She was not thinking only of his immensely popular no...

  • Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    Alexandre Dumas

    Michel De Decker

    " Je ne voudrais pas exagérer, mais je crois que j'ai de par le monde plus de cinq cents enfants. " Il est vrai que la vie sentimentale et sensuelle d'Alexandre Dumas père tient du...

  • Georges synopsis, comments

    Georges

    Alexandre Dumas, Werner Sollors & Tina Kover

    A major new translation of a stunning rediscovered novel by Alexandre Dumas, Georges is a classic swashbuckling adventure. Brilliantly translated by Tina A. Kover in lively, fluid ...

  • Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, in the original French, all four volumes in a single file synopsis, comments

    Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, in the original French, all four volumes in a single file

    Alexandre Dumas

    Classic novel, in the original French. According to Wikipedia: "Alexandre Dumas, pere (French for "father", akin to 'Senior' in English), born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (July 24...

  • Play of Shadows synopsis, comments

    Play of Shadows

    Sebastien de Castell

    Swordplay, magic, intrigue and friendships stronger than iron: the first volume in the new swashbuckling fantasy series by the bestselling author of The Greatcoats.Damelas Chademan...

  • The Count of Monte Cristo synopsis, comments

    The Count of Monte Cristo

    Alexandre Dumas & Roger Celestin

    Nominated as one of America’s bestloved novels by PBS’s The Great American ReadA popular bestseller since its publication in 1844, The Count of Monte Cristo is one o...

  • Where the Light Falls synopsis, comments

    Where the Light Falls

    Allison Pataki & Owen Pataki

    A rich and sweeping novel of courage, duty, sacrifice, and love set during the French Revolution from New York Times bestselling author Allison Pataki and her brother Owen Pataki T...

  • Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    Alexandre Dumas

    Henri Blaze de Bury

    L’erreur est trop souvent de considérer l’esthétique comme une science ayant ses lois invariables et de ne pas en modifier les conditions, chacun de nous selon sa manière de voir e...

  • LOST IN ROME synopsis, comments

    LOST IN ROME

    Edward Bulwer-Lytton

    "The Last Days of Pompeii" Pompeii, A.D. 79. Athenian nobleman Glaucus arrives in the bustling and gaudy Roman town and quickly falls in love with the beautiful Greek Ione...

  • Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    Alexandre Dumas

    Arthur Fitzwilliam Davidson

    This 1902 biography details Alexandre Dumas' family and personal life as well as his inspiration and motivation to write some of his most successful novels.

  • Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    Alexandre Dumas

    Louis-Henry Lecomte

    En choisissant cet ebook, vous contribuez à aider l’édition en grands caractères adaptée à la malvoyance.« Monsieur, écrivait un jour Michelet à Dumas, je vous aime et je vous admi...

  • Delphi Works of Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    Delphi Works of Alexandre Dumas

    Alexandre Dumas

    Alexandre Dumas is a paramount literary figure, whose monumental historical novels have entertained readers across the world. This amazing eBook offers readers the largest collecti...

  • The Collected Works of Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    The Collected Works of Alexandre Dumas

    Alexandre Dumas

    This comprehensive eBook presents the complete works or all the significant works the Œuvre of this famous and brilliant writer in one ebook 21600 pages easytoread and easytonav...

  • The Black Count synopsis, comments

    The Black Count

    Tom Reiss

    WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR BIOGRAPHY ONE OF ESQUIRE’S BEST BIOGRAPHIES OF ALL TIME General Alex Dumas is a man almost unknown today, yet his story is strikingly familia...

  • The Club Dumas synopsis, comments

    The Club Dumas

    Arturo Pérez-Reverte

    #1 International Bestseller"A thriller of marvelous intricacy" (The New York Times Book Review), The Club Dumas is a provocative literary thriller that playfully pays tribute to cl...

  • Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    Alexandre Dumas

    Robert Gaillard

    Cet ouvrage est une réédition numérique d’un livre paru au XXe siècle, désormais indisponible dans son format d’origine.

  • Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    Alexandre Dumas

    Claude Schopp

    Comment nos auteurs préférés viventils quand ils s'interrompent d'écrire ? Certains vont et viennent, se promènent, vagabondent. D'autres se posent, le temps d'une saison ou d'une ...

  • The Greatest Novels of Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    The Greatest Novels of Alexandre Dumas

    Alexandre Dumas

    Musaicum Books presents to you this carefully created collection of Alexandre Dumas' most renowned historical novels and adventure classics. This ebook has been designed and fo...

  • The Three Musketeers synopsis, comments

    The Three Musketeers

    Alexandre Dumas & Lowell Bair

    It's "one for all and all for one!" as D'Artagnan and his three pals follow a course of swashbuckling intrigue and adventure in 17thcentry France.  

  • The Rival Queens synopsis, comments

    The Rival Queens

    Nancy Goldstone

    The riveting true story of motheranddaughter queens Catherine de' Medici and Marguerite de Valois, whose wildly divergent personalities and turbulent relationship changed the shape...

  • Oeuvres de Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    Oeuvres de Alexandre Dumas

    Alexandre Dumas

    9 Oeuvres de Alexandre Dumas (père) Ecrivain français (18021870) Ce livre numérique présente une collection des Oeuvres majeures de Alexandre Dumas éditées en texte intégral. Une t...

  • Works of Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    Works of Alexandre Dumas

    Alexandre Dumas

    This collection was designed for optimal navigation on iPad and other electronic devices. It is indexed alphabetically, chronologically and by category, making it easier to access...

  • The Collected Works Alexandre Dumas, The Older and The Younger synopsis, comments

    The Collected Works Alexandre Dumas, The Older and The Younger

    Alexandre Dumas & Alexandre Dumas fils

    Musaicum Books presents to you this collection of revolutionary works of French literature, formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. ...

  • Alexandre Dumas synopsis, comments

    Alexandre Dumas

    Eugène de Mirecourt

    Alexandre Dumas Eugène de Mirecourt, journaliste et écrivain français (1812–1880) Ce livre numérique présente «Alexandre Dumas», de Eugène de Mirecourt, édité en texte intégral. Un...

  • Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo synopsis, comments

    Alexandre Dumas - The Count of Monte Cristo

    Alexandre Dumas

    The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de MonteCristo) is an adventure novel by French author Alexandre Dumas (père) completed in 1844. It is one of the author's most popular ...