Der Graf von Monte Christo von Alexandre Dumas (1. Oktober 2008) Gebundene Ausgabe

by Alexandre Dumas

Hardcover

About the author

This note regards Alexandre Dumas, père, the father of Alexandre Dumas, fils (son). For the son, see Alexandre Dumas fils.

Alexandre Dumas père, born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was a towering figure of 19th-century French literature whose historical novels and adventure tales earned global renown. Best known for The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and other swashbuckling epics, Dumas crafted stories filled with daring heroes, dramatic twists, and vivid historical backdrops. His works, often serialized and immensely popular with the public, helped shape the modern adventure genre and remain enduring staples of world literature.
Dumas was the son of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a celebrated general in Revolutionary France and the highest-ranking man of African descent in a European army at the time. His father’s early death left the family in poverty, but Dumas’s upbringing was nonetheless marked by strong personal ambition and a deep admiration for his father’s achievements. He moved to Paris as a young man and began his literary career writing for the theatre, quickly rising to prominence in the Romantic movement with successful plays like Henri III et sa cour and Antony.
In the 1840s, Dumas turned increasingly toward prose fiction, particularly serialized novels, which reached vast audiences through French newspapers. His collaboration with Auguste Maquet, a skilled plotter and historian, proved fruitful. While Maquet drafted outlines and conducted research, Dumas infused the narratives with flair, dialogue, and color. The result was a string of literary triumphs, including The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both published in 1844. These novels exemplified Dumas’s flair for suspenseful pacing, memorable characters, and grand themes of justice, loyalty, and revenge.
The D’Artagnan Romances—The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte of Bragelonne—cemented his fame. They follow the adventures of the titular Gascon hero and his comrades Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, blending historical fact and fiction into richly imagined narratives. The Count of Monte Cristo offered a darker, more introspective tale of betrayal and retribution, with intricate plotting and a deeply philosophical core.
Dumas was also active in journalism and theater. He founded the Théâtre Historique in Paris, which staged dramatizations of his own novels. A prolific and energetic writer, he is estimated to have written or co-written over 100,000 pages of fiction, plays, memoirs, travel books, and essays. He also had a strong interest in food and published a massive culinary encyclopedia, Le Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine, filled with recipes, anecdotes, and reflections on gastronomy.
Despite his enormous success, Dumas was frequently plagued by financial troubles. He led a lavish lifestyle, building the ornate Château de Monte-Cristo near Paris, employing large staffs, and supporting many friends and relatives. His generosity and appetite for life often outpaced his income, leading to mounting debts. Still, his creative drive rarely waned.
Dumas’s mixed-race background was a source of both pride and tension in his life. He was outspoken about his heritage and used his platform to address race and injustice. In his novel Georges, he explored issues of colonialism and identity through a Creole protagonist. Though he encountered racism, he refused to be silenced, famously replying to a racial insult by pointing to his ancestry and achievements with dignity and wit.
Later in life, Dumas continued writing and traveling, spending time in Belgium, Italy, and Russia. He supported nationalist causes, particularly Italian unification, and even founded a newspaper to advocate for Giuseppe Garibaldi. Though his popularity waned somewhat in his final years, his literary legacy grew steadily. He wrote in a style that was accessible, entertaining, and emotionally reso

Reviews

[Jakob Außem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eine großartige Geschichte vor dem historischen Hintergrund der nachnapoleanischen Zeit in Frankreich. Edmond Dantés wird zum Opfer eines intriganten Verrats, der ganz unter dem Motto „Enrichissez-Vous“ (Bereichert Euch) entsteht. Gebannt verfolgen wir als Leser seine Gefangenschaft, seinen Ausbruch und vor allem seinen Rachefeldzug, den er über mehrere Jahre äußerst geschickt und trotzdem nicht perfekt inszeniert. Ein durchaus gesellschaftskritischer Abenteuerroman, der mich in seinen Bann gezogen und völlig begeistert hat. Es reicht wohl nicht, um ihn als mein Lieblingsbuch zu bezeichnen, doch ist der Graf von Montechristo zumindest meine Lieblingsgeschichte!

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geschichte 4,5 Sterne, aber ist eine leicht gekürzte Version dass nirgends angegeben wird >:(

[Arslan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historische Fiktion, die echte Ereignisse geschickt in die Geschichte einbindet. Interessante Figuren, Handlung ebenfalls spannend an manchen Stellen etwas melodramatisch (so waren die Menschen aber früher auch in der Realität, daher nehme ich das nicht als Negativpunkt auf). Wirft ein wenig Fragen über das Thema Gerechtigkeit auf, ist für mich persönlich eher zweitrangig.

Ist zurecht ein Klassiker der vor kurzem erst erneut verfilmt wurde (allerdings mit stark geänderter Handlung, Motive und Figuren).

Fand das 3. Viertel etwas langatmig aber am Ende hatte alles seinen Grund.