The Black Count: Glory, revolution, betrayal and the real Count of Monte Cristo [Hardcover]

This is a biography of General Alexandre Dumas, father of the novelist and a man who experienced and achieved a great deal in his amazing life. His son was not yet four when he died in 1806, but obviously hero worshipped him and incorporated many of the tales of his life, told by his mother, into his novels. In fact, his fathers life reads very much like a novel and is an astounding account of a man who was born the son of a slave and lived through a revolution and the rise of Napoleon.

The first part of this book looks at the early life of Alexandre Dumas, who was himself the son of a Marquis, a French nobleman in hiding on the French sugar colony of Saint-Domingue, and Marie Cessette Dumas, who was a slave. Saint-Domingue was a place where the sons of impoverished noble familes could strike it rich, as sugar was a scarce and luxurious commodity. The Marquis, known then as Antoine Alexandre de I'Isle, had effectively come 'to sponge' off his younger brother, who had married the daughter of a plantation owner. Eventually he had four children with Marie Cessette Dumas, although when he eventually returned to France he took only his youngest child, Alexandre, with him.

Alexandre must have had a difficult time in Paris. Although 'men of colour' lived a free life in France, he still came up against racism at every turn. Eventually, he set up on his own, taking his mothers name, and joining the army as a dragoon. The author recreates the history of that period so well you almost feel you are living through it. We read of Alexandre's great skills as a swordsman, his incredible strength and agility, his renowned good looks and intelligence. These were abilities he used to climb through the ranks of the army as the French Revolution erupted and the army was reformed. When he was billeted with the Labouret family and fell in love with their young daughter Marie-Louise, his father accepted her lovers proposal, but asked that the wedding be postponed until Alexandre became a sergeant. Within a year he was a general, with ten thousand men under his command...

We read of the Revolution, the Committee of Public Safety and the unleasing of the Terror, when everyone was under suspicion and heads rolled. Also, there is much of his fathers life that Dumas the novelist incorporated into his writing. An example of this was when Alexandre Dumas was imprisoned in the fortress of Taranto, which is obviously the basis of the Count of Monte Cristo. This is only one example, but the author deftly ties together stories, both real and exaggerated, which the author weaved into his novels. Overall, this is a fascinating account of a man and a time, incredibly well written and researched. The author obviously had a great deal of respect for the man he was writing about and this is both history and biography at their best.

The life and military record of General Alexandre Dumas almost seems like the stuff of legend. His son, Alexandre Dumas (Pere) the writer, used him as the model for some of his most well known characters including Edmond Dantes (the Count of Monte Cristo) and d'Artagnan (the Three Musketeers).

Alexandre Dumas (or Alex Dumas as he signed his name), was born in Saint Domingue to an African Women and a French Marquis and rose very quickly through the ranks solely on his own merit to become a General in the French army. A popular and striking commander who always lead from the front and would typically be found in the thickest and most dangerous of the fighting. Unfortunately like his comrade in arms, teacher and fellow revolutionary, Chevalier de St George, he was to face racism, bigotry and betrayal.

In "The Black Count", Tom Reiss has written a most comprehensive biography of the General and the events which shaped and affected his life. From his early days in Saint Dominque to his rise to prominence during the French Revolution, the author draws on a wealth of information including personal memoirs and letters, the writings of his novelist son, visits to various sites of the campaigns he was involved in and records of his life and militarily service which altogether bring to light this virtual giant (standing at over six foot tall) of his time.

He was to end his days almost forgotten as special laws enacted by his contemporary and one time commander Napoleon Bonaparte, started to affect lives of "People of Colour". The leaders of Saint Dominque were to lead their country to become the independent Republic of Haiti and his support for liberty and equality to the end of his life echoed the very principles which those in his land of birth were fighting for.

I was aware of this man before reading "The Black Count", but Tom Reiss has left the reader with a very detailed account of his life and the world he lived in. This is an excellent book, well written and extensively researched by the author. Recommended reading!

This is a delightful and enlightening book, and a pleasure to read. Tom Reiss uses the fascinating story of Dumas-père's father as a vehicle to describe the French Revolution, the arrival of Napoleon, and the disastrous Egyptian and Saint-Domingue campaigns. The extent that Dumas-père drew from his father's adventures for such stories as The Count of Monte Cristo is illuminating and touching. What is revealing is that the father so successfully survived the precariousness of such a position as his own during the early revolutionary years, only to stumble when he spoke his mind about Napoleon.
Dumas' birthplace in Saint-Domingue - Jérémie - was abandoned in 1803 by a general who had served in the Queens' Dragoons at the same time as Dumas. He too appeared to fall afoul of Napoleon for his republican beliefs (in his case his respect for Toussaint Louverture). He too struggled with Berthier and failed to benefit from influential Generals Murat and Brune. But is it possible that this parallel went beyond a mere question of principles, and that Napoleon resented both men for, in his view, having unjustifiably left a zone of combat (Dumas left Egypt)? Of course, the dictator couldn't say anything; he was as guilty as any.