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The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo

Tom Reiss

Start date: November 1, 2015

Finish date: December 1, 2015

Discussion: Nonfiction Group Read

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Nov 19, 2022 Camelia Rose (on hiatus) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history, the-race-topic, audio, memoir-biography

The Black Count is a biography of General Alexandre Dumas, a mixed race General of the French Revolution and the father of the French novelist, Alexandre Dumas.

When I read The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, The Black Tulip, The Man in the Iron Mask and other popular books by the author many years ago, it never occurred to me that the quintessential 19th century French novelist was a direct descendant of a Black slave. The novelist’s grandfather was a French aristocrat and a playbo The Black Count is a biography of General Alexandre Dumas, a mixed race General of the French Revolution and the father of the French novelist, Alexandre Dumas.

When I read The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, The Black Tulip, The Man in the Iron Mask and other popular books by the author many years ago, it never occurred to me that the quintessential 19th century French novelist was a direct descendant of a Black slave. The novelist’s grandfather was a French aristocrat and a playboy, who had several children with a Black slave in Saint-Dominique, the modern day Haiti. He later sold his older mixed-race children and their mother but brought his youngest son back to France and gave him education. When his father’s money ran out, the young half-black, half-white Thomas-Alexandre joined the French army as a low rank soldier. It was on the eve of the French Revolution, excellent timing for a military minded, mixed-race gentleman of his era. Dumas rose to the rank of general. He led the French army and won many important battles, most famously the Siege of Mantua. He was the Commander of Cavalry in the French Campaign in Egypt, fought side by side with Napoleon Bonaparte. On the way back from Egypt, he was put to jail in the Kingdom of Naples. His son later would model Edmond Dantès’ imprisonment based on his father.

The book is also a history of the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte up until General Dumas’ death in 1806.

What strikes me most is how revolutionary the late 18th century French Revolution was. It was the most radical implementation of European Enlightenment ideas and the beginning of the trinity of democracy–Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. French First Republic was the first country on earth to abolish slavery and grant men of all colors, including those in French colonies (but sorry, women not included), equal rights, which was unthinkable outside France at the time. On the other hand, the French Revolution also brought the Reign of Terror. What the Committee of Public Safety did was a harbinger of the 20th century political cleansing. Napoleon Bonaparte was indeed a man of many contradicting legacies. ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Dec 15, 2012 Susanna - Censored by GoodReads is currently reading it

Shelves: 19th-century, history, baroque, biography, france

What rogues Alexandre Dumas' grandfather and great-uncles were! ...more

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Feb 16, 2014 Dawn rated it liked it

Shelves: history, non-fiction, individuals

This book didn't seem much like a biography, more of a general history that happened to follow the life of one man. This set up probably made it better for me as I tend to prefer that type of story.
There was some very interesting information about the Revolution and slavery within this book which will lead me to read more about both topics but I'm left thinking that I only got part of a story here, that it just skimmed the surface and didn't delve into anything, not Dumas's life or the Revoluti ...more

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Jul 12, 2013 Lise Petrauskas rated it liked it

Shelves: biography, history, france, 21st-century-non-fiction

This book was fun but uneven. A lot of the history was interesting to me. I'm glad to know it, The little history I already know is more focussed on the royal family pre-revolutionary France, so this is interesting, especially everything that related to race and attitudes about race and slavery. But I got a little too much detail I kind of want more detail about the over-all situation and less detail about where Dumas was and what his rank was, etc. at any given time.but I felt this book suffere ...more

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