You're Dead to Me Alexandre Dumas (Radio Edit)
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Nov 14, 2025 Join historian Olivette Otele, a specialist in the legacies of slavery, and comedian Celya AB, as they delve into the captivating life of Alexandre Dumas. Explore Dumas's rise from poverty to literary fame, his romance-laden life, and his political entanglements in post-Napoleonic France. Otele sheds light on his prolific writing of classics like The Three Musketeers, while Celya adds a humorous twist to his tumultuous journey, including his financial ups and downs and the racial challenges he faced as a celebrated author.
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Humble Origins And Heroic Father
- Alexandre Dumas was born in 1802 to General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas and an innkeeper's daughter, Marie-Louise Labouret.
- His father, a mixed-heritage former enslaved person turned celebrated general, died when Alexandre was three, plunging the family into poverty.
Early Reading Shaped His Genre
- Dumas's early reading included Arabian Nights, Robinson Crusoe and classical mythology despite limited formal schooling.
- That eclectic reading shaped his appetite for historical romance and adventure in later plays and novels.
Theatrical Prolificacy And A Smash Hit
- Between 1829 and 1851 Dumas produced a new play almost every year and pioneered romantic historical drama on the Parisian stage.
- His play La Tour de Nel ran for around 800 consecutive performances, marking huge popular success.
