Alexander Dumas
Alexander Dumas was a major playwright who
helped to revolutionize French drama
and theater. He was one of the best
historical novelists, publishing more than
two hundred novels. He was born on
July twenty fourth, mille eighteen in the
french town of Villers-Cotterets.
His father was a general in Napoleon's army.
His mother,
Marie-Louise-Elizabeth was an innkeeper. His father died when he was
four
years old and his mother was not able to provide him with much
education.
As a young man, Alexandre Dumas worked as a clerc and moved to
Paris. After
seeing one of Shakesphere's plays, Hamlet, he had found the
direction that he
needed to go. The play had inspired him to become a
playwright. In eighteen
twenty four his son Alexandre Dumas fils, who became
a writer himself, was born.
A few years later, after many failures,
Alexandre Dumas wrote Henry III, which
was a great success. Dumas became
prominent as one of the leaders of the
Romantic movement. Year's later,
he turned all his attention to writing vivid
historical novels. His best
known novels are The Three Musketeers and The Count
of Monte Cristo. However,
He became famous not for his novels, but for his
plays. Having been regarded
as the most important playwright, one of the most
prolific writers ever, and
the most famous novelist in France, Dumas soon found
his luck failing him. He
made a fortune and quickly lost it due to his lavish
life-style, and
generosity. His reputation became tarnished because he often
collaborated
with people who supplied ideas and minor works, to which Dumas gave
his touch
of literary genius. He now faced accusations and even suits charging
him of
plagiarism. Later on in his life, he wrote his memoirs and on December
fifth
eighteen seventy, he died in the bed at his son's estate in Puys.