Born as Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie on 24 July 1802, in Villers-Cotterêts, Picardy, France, AlexAndre dumAs was one of the most prolific authors of his time.The last name Dumas was adopted from his grandmother, a former enslaved Haitian woman. His father,Thomas-Alexandre, assumed the name Dumas when he enlisted in Napoleons army. Here, he was given the dubious nickname Black Devil. Popular for his historical adventure novels like The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers (initially published as serials), Dumas immersed himself in literature after he moved to Paris in 1822. During the 1830 revolution, he worked as a scribe for the Ducd Orléans (later named King Louis Philippe), and began writing dramas and comedies. Dumas had a penchant for writing volumes of essays on some of the most infamous cases in history. It is believed that his published works totalled 100,000 pages and his works have been translated into more than 100 languages. A household name and a celebrity in France and across Europe, Dumas founded the Théâtre Historique in Paris in the 1840s. Dumas died on 5 December 1870, in Puys, France. He was buried at his birthplace of Villers- Cotterêts in the department of Aisne. In 1970, as a mark of honour, the Alexandre Dumas Paris Métro station was named after the author. His country home outside Paris, the Château de Monte-Cristo, has been restored as a museum.
On his wedding day, Edmond Dantès, a sailor, is arrested for treason. Charged with being a Bonapartiste, he is wrongfully imprisoned without trial in the dreaded Château d’If. Dantès has been betrayed, concludes his fellow prisoner and mentor, Abbé Faria. After a dramatic escape from prison, Dantès acquires a fortune at the Island of Monte Cristo, and returns to France as the mysterious and sought-after Count of Monte Cristo. With steely resolve, he sets about wreaking vengeance on those who conspired his ruination. And with devastating consequences. Set in France, Italy, and the islands in the Mediterranean during the historical events of 1815–1839, this literary classic by Alexandre Dumas (père), originally published between 1844 and 1845, is an exploration of universal themes like romance, hope, loyalty, betrayal, vengeance, forgiveness and justice.
