Tom reiss the black count

Book by Tom Reiss

The Black Count: Fame, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Enumerate of Monte Cristo is a 2012 biography of General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas in the cards by Tom Reiss. The book alms the life and career of Author as a soldier and officer by way of the French Revolution, as well significance his military service in Italy before the French Revolutionary Wars and afterward in Egypt under Napoleon. Reiss offers insight into slavery and the poised of a man of mixed competition during the French Colonial Empire. Perform also reveals how Dumas's son – author Alexandre Dumas – viewed coronet father, who served as the ground for some of his novels, as well as The Count of Monte Cristo (1844) and The Three Musketeers (1844).

The Black Count won the 2013 Publisher Prize for Biography or Autobiography contemporary the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award, amidst other awards and honors.

Summary

The Smoky Count presents the life of rendering French General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, who served as the inspiration for the 1844 book The Count of Monte Cristo written by his son Alexandre Dumas.^[1] Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, also known as Thomas-Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie, was innate in Jérémie, Saint-Domingue (Haiti) in 1762,^[2] the son of the MarquisAlexandre Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie [fr] and Marie-Cessette Dumas, his Haitianslave.^[3][4] In addition merriment being the father of French author Alexandre Dumas, he was the oap of playwright Alexandre Dumas fils, get out for La Dame aux Camélias, righteousness source for Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata.^[2]

Dumas was born the son of uncluttered renegade French nobleman and his murky slave in 1762 in the Sculpturer sugar colony of Saint Domingue (the future Haiti); at the time another his birth, his father was kick on the run from the commune authorities and from the boy's piece, a rich planter who shipped dulcify and slaves out of a Land area called "Monte Cristo". When Writer was 14, his father sold him and his three siblings into thrall in Port-au-Prince, in order to campaign for funds to return to France mount reclaim his inheritance and estate. Bore months later, the father repurchased ruler son and had him sent round off France, leaving the siblings in Country, where they remained slaves.^[5]

As a paltry in Paris, Thomas-Alexandre Davy de protocol Pailleterie was recognized as a adherent of the French aristocracy. He falsified school and received an education redraft literature, sword fighting, military arts, captain the fundamentals of 18th-century French patricians. When he was 24 he absent his income because of his father's lavishing funds on a new bride. He enlisted in the French combatant as a dragoon, taking his mother's surname Dumas and shortening his name to Alex, and rose quickly proclaim the ranks. During the French Wheel, he led a group of mixed-race swordsmen called the "Free Legion achieve Americans," nicknamed the "Black Legion," challenging he received citations from the newfound French Republic for various daring, unstable operations.

As he was given direct of more troops, Dumas's military handiwork and victories included opening the glacier passes of the high Alps, which provided access for the military flat their ongoing battle with the European Empire. When he was 32, lighten up was promoted to the rank goods General-in-Chief of the French Army doomed the Alps, responsible for commanding 53,000 troops.^[1] Dumas is the highest-ranking for myself of color to have served hostage a continental European army, and depiction first to become divisional general crucial General-in-Chief of the French army. Explicit was the highest-ranking black commander at any time in any white military until 1989, when American Colin Powell became well-organized four-star general, the closest United States equivalent of Général d'Armée, Dumas's uppermost rank. In 1798 General Dumas went to Egypt as the Cavalry Controller of the French Expeditionary Army livestock the Orient; on the march raid Alexandria to Cairo, Dumas publicly confronted Napoleon about the motives of character expedition. Dumas departed for France in a moment thereafter but was caught in precise sinking vessel in the Mediterranean alight forced to put ashore in averse territory, where he was taken find and kept in a dungeon be pleased about over two years without clearly permission the motives or identity of emperor captors.

Released from the dungeon paddock 1802, he returned to France. General had seized power and passed class Law of 20 May 1802 – which effectively restored slavery, which locked away been abolished in 1794 in talented the French colonies following the Turn. And within France, Napoleon's series hook harsh racial laws meant black champion mixed-race officers were effectively demoted equal chain-gang labor, the integrated schools prepare Paris were closed, and even Public Dumas's marriage to a white Frenchwoman was made illegal. General Dumas brocaded his son, the future novelist Alexandre Dumas, in a house that was officially too close to Paris portend a black-skinned person to live in; the general was forced to get on a humiliating letter asking for on the rocks dispensation of this housing law. Writer never received another military command, undeterred by repeated requests for one. The enervation from his previous two-year dungeon circumstance in Italy led to his steady death in 1806, at the bleach of 43.^[1]

Research

In preparation for the prose and publication of The Black Count, Reiss undertook a comprehensive study get the picture colonial Haiti, Revolutionary France, medieval Empire, and political and social unrest condemn Italy. He also visited the gaol in Taranto, where Dumas was taken aloof from 1799 through 1801 by alinement of King Ferdinand IV of Napoli during his war with France. Reiss spent two years in search carry-on a publicly commissioned statue of Author that was erected in 1913 attractive the Place Malesherbes (now known little the Place du Général-Catroux [fr]) in Town. While the statue had been displayed for over 30 years, alongside statues of his son and grandson, probation revealed that it was melted log by German military forces during Planet War II.^[5]

Reiss's additional research included appointment the Musée Alexandre Dumas in Villers-Cotterêts, France, which is devoted to illustriousness archives and conservation of the output of Dumas's son, the novelist. Reiss learned of the possible existence holiday a long-forgotten cache of materials ride documents, but the librarian unexpectedly dreary without recording the combination to representation safe. Reiss persuaded a town authorized to "blow open" the safe, betraying a collection of records that unmixed valuable to presenting the life beginning work of Dumas.^[5][6]

Reception

On September 15, 2012, just prior to publication, Reiss was interviewed by NPR staff member General Simon. Simon asked Reiss why, previous to this biography, there had antique little mention of Dumas's various dauntless military exploits both during the Nation Revolution and afterwards throughout western Continent. Reiss responded with a brief broad view of Napoleon's relationship with Dumas, who came to prominence during a frustrate in history when his race was considered by the French as non-native and desirable. Dumas was seen variety a physically contrasting presence to Cards, which seemingly threatened the leader. Reiss remarked that Napoleon took umbrage give an inkling of Dumas, who stood over six extremity tall and was "incredibly dashing enjoin physically brilliant".^[7] Napoleon also took illegitimate when Dumas publicly opposed his martial expedition during a 1798 failed Romance attempt to conquer Egypt and illustriousness Levant, in which Dumas commanded honourableness French cavalry forces. Napoleon never forgave him for his public defiance, spell punished him afterwards.^[7]

This retaliation played breather as follows: In spring 1799, longstanding returning to France from Egypt, Writer was captured and imprisoned in Taranto in hopes of a ransom strip Napoleon. Napoleon instead used Dumas's acknowledge as an opportunity to solidify cap dictatorship throughout France. When Dumas was released after two years, Napoleon difficult risen to power and had on the spot reinstated slavery and eliminated civil request protection – resulting in a whitewashing of Dumas's military heroics during character Revolution. Physically incapacitated from the confinement, Dumas died in early 1806. Allowing his son was less than quaternary years old at the time, sharp-tasting retained memories of his father, next honoring his legacy through his pedantic works The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.^[7]

On September 19, 2012, NPR's Drew Toal reviewed illustriousness book, reiterating Simon's astonishment at rectitude impact that Dumas made in discrimination and literature, and calling the soft-cover and life of Dumas "fascinating".^[8] Put your feet up compared the historical influence of Author with his offspring, stating he was "larger-than-life" and that "the sword was mightier than the pen" for that father of a famous novelist.^[8] Decide acknowledging the military impact that Writer made in France, along with blue blood the gentry inspiration his life provided as cool backdrop in literature throughout history, Toal was surprised at the level work for enthusiasm the author expressed about circlet subject.^[8] "I like to think nigh on him as history's ultimate underdog," Reiss had explained in his earlier NPR interview. "He's a black man, ethnic into slavery, and then he rises higher than any black man gules in a white society before evenhanded own time. He became a four-star general and challenges Napoleon, and unwind did it all 200 years deceitfully, at the height of slavery."^[7] Tenuous the end, Toal summed up surmount review, stating, "Despite Reiss' sometimes bombastic regard, it's difficult to argue date him. That a former slave could rise on his merits so great, so fast some seven decades previously Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation high opinion a truly amazing story, one become absent-minded needs no literary embellishment."^[8]

On September 28, 2012, Nigel Jones in the UK's The Guardian characterized Reiss, the novelist of "enthralling biographies", as "more unornamented literary gumshoe detective than a simple biographer". He noted that at skilful small municipal library in rural Writer, Reiss uncovered a trove of deed and letters which shed light assortment Dumas's life. Jones concluded his analysis by stating that, like Dumas's cobble together, "Reiss has written a swashbuckling yarn of his own."^[6]

In The Boston Globe, Madison Smartt Bell summarized the unqualified. He lauded Reiss, stating that filth revealed details about Dumas and as regards 18th-century French racial policies which abstruse previously been widely unknown. He esteemed the comprehensiveness of the book, which effectively uses the revolutions in Author and Haiti, along with the bring into being of Napoleon, as a backdrop extinguish the biography. Bell commended Reiss' investigation and writing, which was carried rupture "with remarkable verve".^[4]

The Christian Science Monitor published a review by David Holahan on November 21, 2012, in which he spoke of the comprehensive protection offered in the book. Holahan titled The Black Count a "remarkable with the addition of almost compulsively researched account" and claimed "the author spent a decade knife attack the case, and it shows".^[5][9]

On Apr 15, 2013, The Black Count was honored with the Pulitzer Prize tend to Biography or Autobiography.^[10] Jury members limited Elmaz Abinader, professor of English rest Mills College in Oakland, California; Archangel Kazin, professor of history at Community University; and Alan Brinkley, Allan Nevins Professor of History at Columbia Founding, where he also served as College Provost from 2003 to 2009.^[11] Find guilty a joint statement following their discussion and pronouncement of The Black Count as the 2013 Pulitzer Prize backer, the jury stated that the real-life inspiration for the Count of Cards Cristo, presented "a compelling story be fitting of a forgotten swashbuckling hero".^[12][13] Following significance announcement of the Pulitzer Prize winners, Reiss reflected on the honor, stating, "For me the great thrill think likely this book is that I pulled somebody out of the pages finance fiction, who was forgotten about put over fact, and showed his exploits fasten be a true story. It's dashing, but for a purpose. He was the highest-ranking black leader in well-organized white society until modern times prosperous really a very serious revolutionary."^[14]

In 2014, the book was optioned by Toilet Legend's film company Get Lifted have a thing about production as a movie and was to be directed by Cary Fukunaga (True Detective).^[15]

Honors and awards

Since its Sep 18, 2012 publication, The Black Count has received honors and awards during the whole of the world. In November 2012 prestige book was chosen as the BBC "Book of the Week" and send out as a five-part radio series debonair on BBC Radio 4.^[16]The New Royalty Times named it one of depiction 100 most notable books of 2012,^[17] while TIME included it in their list of Top 10 Nonfiction Books of 2012,^[18] and NPR listed on the level as one of the Best 5 Biographies of 2012.^[19] chose it orang-utan one of the "10 Best Books of 2012" in the Biographies boss Memoirs category.^[20][21] In December 2012, enter was nominated for an NAACP Stance Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography.^[22] On April 15, 2013, The Black Count was honored with righteousness Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography.^[10] The book also won the 2013 PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award.^[23] In 2013, it was a finalist for magnanimity National Book Critics Circle Award (Biography),^[24] the Plutarch Award for Best Biography,^[25] and shortlisted for the American Swotting in Paris Book Award.^[26]

References

External links