#olivier pichat

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Painting of general-in-chief Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (1762-1806). By Olivier Pichat.

Alexandre was a French general known as "The Black Devil". He was the father of Alexandre Dumas - who was inspired by the character of the Count of Monte Cristo - and grandfather of Alexandre Dumas (son).

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[uispeccoll]

#VoicesfromtheStacks Alexandre Dumas, the Count of Monte Cristo

with an introduction by André Maurois & illustrations by Lynd Ward.

Our focus for today is a famous French author, Alexandre Dumas. If we are to talk about his famous work The Count of Monte Cristo, we would be greatly remiss to not talk about the works larger then life inspiration--Dumas’s own father.

General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was born into slavery in Saint-Domingue,  the son of the Marquis Alexandre Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie, a white French nobleman and Marie-Cessette Dumas, an enslaved woman of African descent. He escaped slavery when his father took him to France in 1776, as slavery had been illegal there since 1315. He entered the French army, and became a general under Napoleon Bonaparte, becoming one of the highest-ranking men of African descent ever to lead a European army. After a notable career in Egypt and Italy he was taken prisoner in Naples, where he was forced to land after a storm. Freed after two years with ruined health, he returned to France with his wife, but he or his wife were never granted the pension normally granted to those of his rank. This is believed to have been caused by his personal rivalry with a likely jealous Napoleon. In at least one instance in Egypt, locals seeing the muscular, over 6 ft Dumas leading a charge believed him to be in command instead of the less imposing Napoleon. This lack of pension lead to his son and wife to live in poverty after his death.

However, his son Alexandre Dumas became one of the most widely read French authors today. Known for his  swashbuckling adventures, such as The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask, and The Count of Monte Cristo, Dumas also wrote fantasy, such as The Wolf Leader, which is considered one of the earliest werewolf-themed books. His works have been adapted into nearly 200 films.

Image of photo of Alexander Dumas in  1865- Getty Images  Painting of General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas by Olivier Pichat courtesy of WikiMedia Commons.

(Yes, this is the Three Musketeers, not the Count of Monte Cristo, but how can you talk about Dumas without them?) 

--Diane R. 

[artfoli]

Général Alexandre Dumas, 1883, by Olivier Pichat (1825-1912)

[made-in-france]

Olivier Pichat (1825-1912) - Thomas Alexandre Dumas

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General Alexandre Dumas, Olivier Pichat