Alexandre dumas fils biography of donald

Since the early 20th century, his novels have been adapted into nearly 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 totalledpages. He moved to Russia for a few years and then to Italy. He returned to Paris in English playwright Watts Phillipswho 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. He had two older sisters, Marie-Alexandrine born and Louise-Alexandrine — Thomas-Alexandre was the only son born to them, but they had two or three daughters.

Infollowing 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 Jeanetteas 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 licence, 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. While working for Louis-Philippe, Alexandre 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 second play, Christinewas equally popular the next year. These successes gave him sufficient income to write full-time. Until the mids, 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 industrialize. 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 and writer. As newspapers were publishing many serial novels, he began producing these. He founded a production studio, staffed with writers who turned out hundreds of stories, all subject to his personal direction, editing, and additions.

From toDumas, with the assistance of several friends, compiled Celebrated Crimesan eight-volume collection of essays on famous criminals and crimes from European history. The story is written as Grisier's account of how he came to witness the events of the Decembrist revolt in Russia. The novel was eventually banned in Russia by Czar Nicholas Iand Dumas was prohibited from visiting the country until after the Czar's death.

Dumas depended on numerous assistants and collaborators, of whom Auguste Maquet was the best known. It was not until the late twentieth century that his role was fully understood. Maquet took Dumas to court to get authorial recognition and a higher payment rate for his work. He was successful in getting more money, but not a by-line. Dumas's novels were so popular that they were soon translated into English and other languages.

His writing earned him a great deal of money, but he was frequently insolvent, as he spent lavishly on women and sumptuous living. Scholars have found that he had a total of 40 mistresses. It often was filled with strangers and acquaintances who stayed for lengthy visits and took advantage of his generosity. Two years later, faced with financial difficulties, he sold the entire property.

Dumas wrote in a wide variety of genres and published a total ofpages in his lifetime. As Bonaparte disapproved of the author, Dumas fled in to Brussels, Belgium, which was also an effort to escape his creditors. In abouthe moved to Russiawhere French was the second language of the elite and his alexandre dumas fils biography of donald were enormously popular.

Dumas spent two years in Russia and visited St. He published travel books about Russia. Dumas travelled there and for the next three years participated in the movement for Italian unification. He founded and led a newspaper, Indipendente. While there, he befriended Giuseppe Garibaldiwhom he had long admired and with whom he shared a commitment to liberal republican principles as well as membership within Freemasonry.

Despite Dumas's aristocratic background and personal success, he had to deal with discrimination related to his mixed-race ancestry. Inhe wrote the short novel Georgeswhich addressed some of the issues of race and the effects of colonialism. His response to a man who insulted him about his partial African ancestry has become famous. Dumas said:. My father was a mulattomy grandfather was a Negro, and my great-grandfather a monkey.

You see, Sir, my family starts where yours ends. Dumas had numerous liaisons with other women; the scholar Claude Schopp lists nearly 40 mistresses. AboutDumas had an affair with Adah Isaacs Menkenan American actress who was less than half his age and at the height of her career. She had performed her sensational role in Mazeppa in London.

Alexandre dumas fils biography of donald

In Paris, she had a sold-out run of Les Pirates de la Savanne and was at the peak of her success. Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo contains several references to hashish. On 5 DecemberDumas died at the age of 68 of natural causes, possibly a heart attack. His death was overshadowed by the Franco-Prussian War. Changing literary fashions decreased his popularity.

French writer and dramatist — This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Alexandre Dumas fils. Nadezhda von Knorring. Biography [ edit ]. Bibliography [ edit ]. Novels [ edit ]. Opera [ edit ]. Plays [ edit ].

See also [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. New York: Crown Publishers. Interestingly, his writing passion was not confined to literary or historical pieces; he also produced books about the exciting details of his travel to different countries. It is a blend of elements of realismhumorand romance. This mixture has an uncanny allurement for the readers to start reading and end it before starting some other work.

For example, his most celebrated work, The Three Musketeersfollows a simple narrative style, expressive dictionand cliffhanging technique. Another distinct quality of his writing style is the use of vivid characterizationwhich means his characters have personalities of their own. Regarding literary deviceshe often turns toward symbolismallegoryallusionsimageryand sound devices.

Some of the major themes in his writings are politics, hopes, the strength of friendship, romance, and the nature of mankind. The universality of his works keeps his popularity going on even after his demise. As he has reached every nook and cranny of the world through translations, it seems that the magic and allurement of his style will continue to reverberate across the globe in stories and novels being written today.