Classic Authors: Alexandre Dumas
© Susan Jensen
He was born on July 24, 1802, in Villers-Cotterets, which lay 40 kilometers northeast of Paris, France. His father, Thomas-Alexandre, who had become a distinguished general under Napoleon Bonaparte, died when Alexandre was only 4 years old. Thus, Alexandre was raised by his mother, Marie-Louise Elizabeth Labouret. Since Marie-Louise could not bear to be separated from her son, Alexandre never attended college. Indeed, he received very little book learning. The strong lad spent his childhood days engaging and excelling in every country sport.
Alexandre's secure world soon became a bit complicated. When he was 20 or 21, his mother informed him that they had no more money and that he must now find employment to support the two of them. Thus, he set off for Paris to seek his fortune. In Thomas-Alexandre's era, the place to distinguish oneself had been on the battlefield; in this, a time of peace, the most promising area seemed to be literature. Alphons de Lamartine and Victor Hugo had already found honor in the profession, and Alexandre knew he could also.
First, however, Alexandre needed to find secure employment. He sought out his father's friends, hoping to find an opportunity to earn the money he needed. General Foy, who had also fought for Napoleon, found Alexandre a clerkship, where his neat handwriting would be of use. When he sought General Foy to thank him, Alexandre reportedly announced, "General, I am going to live by my handwriting, but I promise you that I shall some day live by my pen." Not many years passed before he was doing just that.
Before Alexandre wrote any of his novels, he became a successful playwright. His first play, Henri III. et sa cour, was performed in 1829. He continued to write, publishing five plays in 1831. Alexandre's first narratives were short stories and books about travel. In 1840, he published his first long narrative, Captain Paul. By 1845, he had completed his most popular novels, The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. Alexandre wrote feverishly, producing an incredible amount of short stories, novels and plays. His writing earned him a large amount of money, which he spent rapidly, especially on lavish vacations.
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