Alexandre Dumas

Alexandre Dumas was born in 1802 in Villers-Cotterêts, a small town near Paris. His father was a general in the French army who had a mixed-race ancestry. His mother was a poor innkeeper's daughter who raised him after his father's death in 1806. Dumas received a limited education but developed a passion for reading and writing. He moved to Paris in 1822 and worked as a clerk for the Duc d'Orléans. He also began writing plays, which were well received by the public and the critics. He became one of the most popular and prolific authors of the 19th century, producing hundreds of works in various genres, such as drama, romance, comedy, history, travel, and memoirs. He is best known for his historical novels of adventure, such as The Three Musketeers (1844), The Count of Monte Cristo (1844-1845), The Man in the Iron Mask (1847-1850), and The Queen's Necklace (1849-1850). These novels were often serialized in newspapers and magazines, and featured heroic characters, thrilling plots, exotic settings, and historical accuracy. Dumas also collaborated with other writers, such as Auguste Maquet, who helped him with research and outline. Dumas was a lavish spender and a lover of women. He had many affairs and fathered several children out of wedlock. He married actress Ida Ferrier in 1840, but they separated soon after. His son, Alexandre Dumas fils, also became a famous writer, known for his novel The Lady of the Camellias (1848), which inspired Verdi's opera La Traviata. Dumas traveled extensively throughout Europe and Africa, and wrote about his experiences in his travel books. He also founded a theatre and a newspaper, and participated in the Italian unification movement. He died in 1870 at his son's home in Dieppe, Normandy. He was buried in his birthplace of Villers-Cotterêts, but his remains were later transferred to the Panthéon in Paris in 2002.