Alexandre Dumas, fils
Alexandre Dumas, fils, born on July 27, 1824, in Paris, was the illegitimate son of the renowned novelist Alexandre Dumas and a Belgian dressmaker. Unlike his father, who was known for his adventurous novels, Dumas fils was more influenced by his mother's practical nature. He embarked on his literary career in response to his father's financial difficulties, publishing a book of poems in 1847, followed by the novel "Camille" in 1848. "Camille" was later adapted into a highly successful play, becoming one of the most celebrated works in theatrical history.
Dumas fils's writings often explored themes of morality and social issues, particularly through the lens of tragic characters, such as the courtesan in "Camille," who is redeemed by love yet faces societal judgment. His works gained popularity, particularly among notable actresses of the late 19th century, and "Camille" inspired adaptations in various forms, including the famous opera "La Traviata" by Giuseppe Verdi. Dumas fils's legacy is marked by his contributions to drama and literature until his passing in Paris at the age of seventy-one.
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Alexandre Dumas, fils
French playwright and novelist
- Born: July 27, 1824
- Birthplace: Paris, France
- Died: November 27, 1895
- Place of death: Marly-le-Roi, France
Biography
Illegitimate son of the famous quadroon novelist and a Belgian dressmaker, the younger Alexander Dumas (dyew-mah) was born in Paris on July 27, 1824. Though Dumas fils (fees), or son, inherited the artistic skills of his dissipated father, he was temperamentally more attuned to his sensible mother. Responding to his father’s financial reverses, Dumas began his own literary career. He published a book of poems in 1847, followed the next year by a novel, Camille. He quickly adapted his sentimental but highly moralistic novel into one of the most successful plays of all time.
Although Dumas became a rich man through sixteen skillfully constructed and polished plays, featuring such famous performers as Sarah Bernhardt, he is remembered today almost entirely for Camille. Its heroine, a courtesan redeemed by true love and early death, was modeled after a woman he himself had loved briefly but intensely. In sympathetically portraying a tragic outcast, even while upholding the standards she defied, Dumas earned a place as a pioneer writer of problem plays. A stage vehicle for the most famous actresses of the last half of the nineteenth century, Camille became an early film role for Alla Nazimova, Lillian Gish, and, most notably, Greta Garbo. Giuseppe Verdi’s operatic version, La Traviata (1835), is even better known. Dumas died in Paris at the age of seventy-one.
Bibliography
Arvin, Neil C. Alexandre Dumas fils. Paris: Les Presses Universitaires de France, 1939.
Ceccatty, René de. “La Dame aux camélias”: Théâtre d’après le roman d’Alexandre Dumas fils. Paris: Seuil, 2000.
Garrett-Groag, Lillian. The Ladies of the Camellias. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 1996. An examination of Dumas’s Camille and the actresses who starred in this play.
Gheorghiu, Octavian. Les Romans de Dumas fils. Paris: Les Presses Universitaires de France, 1935.
Mattews, Brander. French Dramatists of the Nineteenth Century. 3d ed. New York: B. Blom, 1968.
Maurois, André. The Titans: A Three-Generation Biography of the Dumas. Translated by Gerard Hopkins. 1957. Reprint. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1971.
Saunders, Edith Alice. The Prodigal Father: Dumas père et fils and the Lady of the Camellias. New York: Longmans, Green, 1951.
Schwarz, H. Stanley. Alexandre Dumas, fils, Dramatist. 1927. Reprint. New York: B. Blom, 1971.
Taylor, F. A. The Theatre of Alexandre Dumas fils. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1937.