He was a God among men, a black
commander in a time of racial oppression, and one of the finest warriors Europe
had ever seen. Alex Dumas, champion of the French army, stood his ground
against foreign attackers, the institutions of conservative restrictions, and
even his own country. First came the French Revolution: the collectivist
overthrowing of a Monarchy whose inept actions provoked its people to revolt
against it. There was a new concept in the air, an equalist concept called
democracy, and this is what gave Dumas the rare opportunity for a man of color
to quickly ascend the ranks. Next came the military campaigns of Italy and
Egypt when Napoleon, Dumas’ nemesis, took command of the army in hopes of
attaining his unrealistic ambitions. It was a chaotic time in the history of a
country that had seen too much of the status quo. The fact that a black man was
able to rise out of the ashes, briefly, in an almost superhero driven
comic-book fashion, seems to pulverize the very notion that some things are impossible.
Dreams do come true, and sometimes in epic form.
The life of this man is unfathomable
and I encourage everyone to read this book. Ultimately Dumas’ glory was
overshadowed by white supremacy, as many of his phenomenal accomplishments were
glazed over by the ruling class of post-revolutionary France. He paved the way
for the French army, but Napoleon and his generals got most of the credit.
What’s even more astonishing is that this is a tale already well known to man.
It was dressed up incognito in a novel we all know and love, a famous novel
written by Dumas’ son, Alexandre Dumas: The Count of Monte Cristo.
Edmond Dantes is based on his father while Danglars is based on Napoleon. His
betrayal and isolation in the Chateau D’ If is based on real events portrayed
in this book.
Personally, I think this is a
landmark in biography. It’s one of the few biographies that reads like an
entertaining work of adventure fiction.
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