I didn’t know Alexandre Dumas was father and son until today. And I’ve read Camille.
I also didn’t know they were mixed race, but I’m more stunned by the fact that I thought they were one guy.
I’m glad I found out without embarrassing myself, but still…
Well, I just found this out, too.
What a pair of Dumases.
I remember it coming up on Jeopardy! once long ago, when someone responded “Who is Alexandre Dumas” and Alex asked them to be more specific. I guess they are differentiated as “pere”/“fils” (father/son)? So I knew there were two of them, but I couldn’t tell you who wrote what.
The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo By Tom Reiss.
A great read
The name is Dumass. (Ad written by a friend of mine. 
)
That was a great ad.
All I can think off when I hear the name:
True but most of the popular stuff people recognize was written by the father, so it usually is one person people are talking about.
“The Three Musketeers”, “The Count of Monte Cristo”, “The Corsican Brothers”, and several others were his.
Jr was a successful writer but didn’t produce anything that would be near as well known today among English speaking readers. “Camille” is probably the best known in that regard, as it was adapted into “La Traviata”. Probably it didn’t help that he was more of a playwright than novelist while his father was the reverse. I don’t think anything else he wrote is even modestly well known today.
don_t_ask, I’m the same way. I literally said the thread title out loud “Alexandry Dumbass”
Glad to know this for the next time I’m on Jeopardy! I mean, the first time.
“pere/fils” is the French equivalent of “Sr./Jr.” in English.
Alexander Dumas pere wrote most of the novels you associate with the last name (The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, etc.). Alexander Dumas fils wrote both novels and plays, but Camille is the only one that most people have heard of nowadays.
I inferred from the OP that the Dumases wrote as a team, and all the famous works of pere were actually collaborations. That would have been truly surprising.
I think those of us who didn’t know Alexandre Dumas had a son of the the same name who became a less successful writer can be forgiven that gap in knowledge.
No you can’t. It’s unforgiveable. It’s nearly inconceivable.
However, Jerry Lewis and Jerry Lee Lewis are the same guy.
I just learned Morgan Freeman and Morgan J Freeman arent the same guy. MJF is a producer of 16 and pregnant series and spinoffs. I used to think it was MF who I really respect and I couldn’t get over he had a hand on that trash. Now I know and I’m sorry I mixed them up.
Whole Lotta Flaaaavin Goin’ On.
I was thinking today why isn’t there a modernized/tv-series adaptation of “The Count of Monte Cristo”? It’s got everything. And the bones of the story seem like they’d lend themselves well to an update. And it seems like it would be easily serializable (especially as that’s how it was originally released)
Or has there been and I just missed it?
A few years ago, ABC had a soapy night-time drama called Revenge, which was loosely (very loosely) based on The Count of Monte Cristo. And Stephen Fry wrote a book called The Stars’ Tennis Balls (although in the US it was called Revenge) that is also an adaptation of the novel.