Hartmetz, Richard S.

Alexandre Dumas was born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie on July 24, 1802 in Villers-Cotterets, Aisne, France, the youngest of two children. His father was the son of a French nobleman and a Black slave and took the name Dumas from his mother, fighting as a general under Napoleon himself. He died of cancer when Alexandre was four, leaving the family very poor. Working at the Palais Royal, under the Duke of Orleans, Dumas began writing articles and plays under the name Dumas, as his father had done. His plays became popular, and he took to writing full time. In 1830, however, he became embroiled i...