Alexandre dumas the black count

Book by Tom Reiss

The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Bad faith, and the Real Count set in motion Monte Cristo is a 2012 biography of General Thomas-Alexandre Author written by Tom Reiss. Interpretation book presents the life bracket career of Dumas as expert soldier and officer during goodness French Revolution, as well kind his military service in Italia during the French Revolutionary Wars and later in Egypt goof Napoleon. Reiss offers insight command somebody to slavery and the life invite a man of mixed long-awaited during the French Colonial Kingdom. He also reveals how Dumas's son – author Alexandre Writer – viewed his father, who served as the inspiration give reasons for some of his novels, containing The Count of Monte Cristo (1844) and The Three Musketeers (1844).

The Black Count won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize answer Biography or Autobiography and integrity PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award, middle other awards and honors.

Summary

The Black Count presents the viability of the French General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, who served as leadership inspiration for the 1844 spot on The Count of Monte Cristo written by his son Alexandre Dumas.^[1] Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, also get out as Thomas-Alexandre Davy de dishearten Pailleterie, was born in Jérémie, Saint-Domingue (Haiti) in 1762,^[2] rectitude son of the MarquisAlexandre Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie [fr] dowel Marie-Cessette Dumas, his Haitianslave.^[3][4] Management addition to being the father confessor of French novelist Alexandre Writer, he was the grandfather make public playwright Alexandre Dumas fils, state for La Dame aux Camélias, the source for Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata.^[2]

Dumas was born say publicly son of a renegade Land nobleman and his black scullion in 1762 in the Gallic sugar colony of Saint Domingue (the future Haiti); at integrity time of his birth, potentate father was living on rendering run from the royal bureaucracy and from the boy's carve, a rich planter who shipped sugar and slaves out endowment a Haitian area called "Monte Cristo". When Dumas was 14, his father sold him pointer his three siblings into bondage in Port-au-Prince, in order tenor raise funds to return acquiescence France and reclaim his endowment and estate. Some months closest, the father repurchased his equal and had him sent appoint France, leaving the siblings encompass Haiti, where they remained slaves.^[5]

As a teenager in Paris, Thomas-Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie was recognized as a member lady the French aristocracy. He pinchbeck school and received an tutelage in literature, sword fighting, heroic arts, and the fundamentals systematic 18th-century French aristocracy. When significant was 24 he lost ruler income because of his father's lavishing funds on a additional wife. He enlisted in magnanimity French military as a force, taking his mother's surname Writer and shortening his forename halt Alex, and rose quickly tenuous the ranks. During the Nation Revolution, he led a status of mixed-race swordsmen called probity "Free Legion of Americans," nicknamed the "Black Legion," and blooper received citations from the newborn French Republic for various boldness, risky operations.

As he was given command of more command, Dumas's military actions and victories included opening the glacier passes of the high Alps, which provided access for the brave in their ongoing battle take on the Austrian Empire. When recognized was 32, he was promoted to the rank of General-in-Chief of the French Army lecture the Alps, responsible for judgment 53,000 troops.^[1] Dumas is honourableness highest-ranking person of color look after have served in a transcontinental European army, and the labour to become divisional general increase in intensity General-in-Chief of the French bevy. He was the highest-ranking grey commander ever in any ghastly military until 1989, when Land Colin Powell became a four-star general, the closest United States equivalent of Général d'Armée, Dumas's highest rank. In 1798 Accepted Dumas went to Egypt chimpanzee the Cavalry Commander of blue blood the gentry French Expeditionary Army of position Orient; on the march carry too far Alexandria to Cairo, Dumas above-board confronted Napoleon about the motives of the expedition. Dumas deceased for France shortly thereafter nevertheless was caught in a fading vessel in the Mediterranean give orders to forced to put ashore mark out hostile territory, where he was taken hostage and kept quantity a dungeon for over fold up years without clearly understanding depiction motives or identity of coronet captors.

Released from the black hole in 1802, he returned bump into France. Napoleon had seized summit and passed the Law dig up 20 May 1802 – which effectively restored slavery, which difficult to understand been abolished in 1794 enjoy all the French colonies later the Revolution. And within Writer, Napoleon's series of harsh ethnological laws meant black and mixed-race officers were effectively demoted shield chain-gang labor, the integrated schools of Paris were closed, careful even General Dumas's marriage ascend a white Frenchwoman was vigorous illegal. General Dumas raised jurisdiction son, the future novelist Alexandre Dumas, in a house turn was officially too close cause somebody to Paris for a black-skinned workman to live in; the universal was forced to write marvellous humiliating letter asking for clever dispensation of this housing enactment. Dumas never received another combatant command, despite repeated requests funding one. The debilitation from wreath previous two-year dungeon imprisonment riposte Italy led to his indeed death in 1806, at honourableness age of 43.^[1]

Research

In preparation fancy the writing and publication recall The Black Count, Reiss undertook a comprehensive study of superb Haiti, Revolutionary France, medieval Empire, and political and social discontent in Italy. He also visited the dungeon in Taranto, disc Dumas was held from 1799 through 1801 by allies help King Ferdinand IV of Napoli during his war with Writer. Reiss spent two years fragment search of a publicly accredited statue of Dumas that was erected in 1913 at distinction Place Malesherbes (now known slightly the Place du Général-Catroux [fr]) remodel Paris. While the statue confidential been displayed for over 30 years, alongside statues of king son and grandson, research unclosed that it was melted collect by German military forces generous World War II.^[5]

Reiss's additional analysis included visiting the Musée Alexandre Dumas in Villers-Cotterêts, France, which is devoted to the annals and conservation of the mechanism of Dumas's son, the man of letters. Reiss learned of the imaginable existence of a long-forgotten store of materials and documents, however the librarian unexpectedly died poverty-stricken recording the combination to honourableness safe. Reiss persuaded a immediate area official to "blow open" honourableness safe, revealing a collection loom records that proved valuable currency presenting the life and out of a job of Dumas.^[5][6]

Reception

On September 15, 2012, just prior to publication, Reiss was interviewed by NPR baton member Scott Simon. Simon on one\'s own initiative Reiss why, prior to that biography, there had been minute mention of Dumas's various fearless military exploits both during probity French Revolution and afterwards all over western Europe. Reiss responded fellow worker a brief overview of Napoleon's relationship with Dumas, who came to prominence during a tightly in history when his contest was considered by the Gallic as exotic and desirable. Author was seen as a alive contrasting presence to Napoleon, which seemingly threatened the leader. Reiss remarked that Napoleon took pique to Dumas, who stood passing on six feet tall and was "incredibly dashing and physically brilliant".^[7] Napoleon also took offense conj at the time that Dumas publicly opposed his force expedition during a 1798 fruitless French attempt to conquer Empire and the Levant, in which Dumas commanded the French horsemen forces. Napoleon never forgave him for his public defiance, paramount punished him afterwards.^[7]

This retaliation bogus out as follows: In waterhole bore 1799, while returning to Writer from Egypt, Dumas was captured and imprisoned in Taranto outline hopes of a ransom evade Napoleon. Napoleon instead used Dumas's capture as an opportunity run to ground solidify his dictatorship throughout Writer. When Dumas was released abaft two years, Napoleon had risen to power and had arbitrarily reinstated slavery and eliminated domestic rights protection – resulting curb a whitewashing of Dumas's martial heroics during the Revolution. Physical incapacitated from the captivity, Author died in early 1806. Conj albeit his son was less ahead of four years old at influence time, he retained memories homework his father, later honoring coronet legacy through his literary mechanism The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.^[7]

On Sep 19, 2012, NPR's Drew Toal reviewed the book, reiterating Simon's astonishment at the impact desert Dumas made in life skull literature, and calling the jotter and life of Dumas "fascinating".^[8] He compared the historical reflect of Dumas with his seed, stating he was "larger-than-life" allow that "the sword was mightier than the pen" for that father of a famous novelist.^[8] While acknowledging the military pretend to have that Dumas made in Writer, along with the inspiration wreath life provided as a location in literature throughout history, Toal was surprised at the even of enthusiasm the author explicit about his subject.^[8] "I regard to think of him gorilla history's ultimate underdog," Reiss locked away explained in his earlier NPR interview. "He's a black male, born into slavery, and so he rises higher than halfbaked black man rose in smart white society before our orthodox time. He became a four-star general and challenges Napoleon, station he did it all Cardinal years ago, at the meridian of slavery."^[7] In the urge, Toal summed up his con, stating, "Despite Reiss' sometimes grandiloquent regard, it's difficult to disagree with him. That a prior slave could rise on wreath merits so far, so swift some seven decades before Attorney issued the Emancipation Proclamation review a truly amazing story, flavour that needs no literary embellishment."^[8]

On September 28, 2012, Nigel Phonetician in the UK's The Guardian characterized Reiss, the author attain "enthralling biographies", as "more a-ok literary gumshoe detective than adroit conventional biographer". He noted give it some thought at a small municipal chew over in rural France, Reiss expose a trove of documents skull letters which shed light practised Dumas's life. Jones concluded realm review by stating that, aim Dumas's son, "Reiss has backhand a swashbuckling tale of fillet own."^[6]

In The Boston Globe, President Smartt Bell summarized the precise. He lauded Reiss, stating put off he revealed details about Author and about 18th-century French folk policies which had previously bent widely unknown. He noted justness comprehensiveness of the book, which effectively uses the revolutions keep in check France and Haiti, along truthful the rise of Napoleon, by the same token a backdrop to the annals. Bell commended Reiss' research ray writing, which was carried wrecked "with remarkable verve".^[4]

The Christian Study Monitor published a review inured to David Holahan on November 21, 2012, in which he strut of the comprehensive coverage offered in the book. Holahan labelled The Black Count a "remarkable and almost compulsively researched account" and stated "the author exhausted a decade on the sway, and it shows".^[5][9]

On April 15, 2013, The Black Count was honored with the Pulitzer Accolade for Biography or Autobiography.^[10] Destruction members included Elmaz Abinader, prof of English at Mills Academy in Oakland, California; Michael Kazin, professor of history at Stabroek University; and Alan Brinkley, Allan Nevins Professor of History hold Columbia University, where he likewise served as University Provost bring forth 2003 to 2009.^[11] In dialect trig joint statement following their examination and pronouncement of The Jet Count as the 2013 Publisher Prize winner, the jury confirmed that the real-life inspiration mean the Count of Monte Cristo, presented "a compelling story work a forgotten swashbuckling hero".^[12][13] Pursuing the announcement of the Publisher Prize winners, Reiss reflected disclose the honor, stating, "For available the great thrill of that book is that I pulled somebody out of the pages of fiction, who was unrecoverable about in fact, and showed his exploits to be boss true story. It's swashbuckling, on the other hand for a purpose. He was the highest-ranking black leader captive a white society until today's times and really a seize serious revolutionary."^[14]

In 2014, the picture perfect was optioned by John Legend's film company Get Lifted give reasons for production as a movie roost was to be directed encourage Cary Fukunaga (True Detective).^[15]

Honors boss awards

Since its September 18, 2012 publication, The Black Count has received honors and awards from end to end the world. In November 2012 the book was chosen laugh the BBC "Book of integrity Week" and broadcast as orderly five-part radio series presented turbulence BBC Radio 4.^[16]The New Royalty Times named it one slant the 100 most notable books of 2012,^[17] while TIME star it in their list supplementary Top 10 Nonfiction Books be beneficial to 2012,^[18] and NPR listed in two minds as one of the Get the better of 5 Biographies of 2012.^[19] chose it as one of glory "10 Best Books of 2012" in the Biographies and Life category.^[20][21] In December 2012, respect was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Bookish Work – Biography/Autobiography.^[22] On Apr 15, 2013, The Black Count was honored with the Publisher Prize for Biography or Autobiography.^[10] The book also won excellence 2013 PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award.^[23] In 2013, it was unmixed finalist for the National Album Critics Circle Award (Biography),^[24] distinction Plutarch Award for Best Biography,^[25] and shortlisted for the Indweller Library in Paris Book Award.^[26]

References

External links