Alexandre Dumas

Alexandre Dumas was born in a small town in France on July 24, 1802. His father was a general and a companion of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Alexandre grew up in Villers-Cotterêts, and traveled to Paris when he was twenty. By twenty-five, he had his first success as a playwright.

Dumas wrote hundreds of plays, novels and travel diaries. He wrote several children's stories, and a culinary dictionary. He started several magazines and wrote in them weekly. He was one of the most prolific writers ever, and did not shy away from collaborating with others or rewriting older stories.

When he turned to novels, they were an even greater success. His most successful novels contain marvelous adventures and actions, and bigger-than-life characters. He wrote many historical novels where he took great liberty with the truth in order to achieve a good story, but never claimed that they were historically accurate. He combined real people and events from French history with imagined people and plots.

The most famous of all Dumas' books are The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask, and The Count of Monte Cristo. They have been read for over 100 years and made into movies several times.

Dumas became rich from his writings, but he spent so freely. After many years of writing, traveling, and carousing and after he had made and lost several fortunes, Dumas died penniless on December 5, 1870.

Wanna read the summary of one of Dumas' novels? Don't miss the next post!