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Doamna de Monsoreau
Excerpt from La Dame de Monsoreau
Le dimanche gras de l'année 1578, après la fête du popu laire, ettandis que s'éteignaient dans les rues les rumeurs de la joyeuse journée, commençait une fête splendide dans le ma gnifique hôtel que venait de sé' fa1re bâtir, de l'autre côté de l eau et presque en face du Louvre, cette illustre famille de Montmorency qui, alliée à la royauté de France, marchait l'ê gale des familles princières. Cette fête particulière, qui suc cédait a la fête publique, avait pour but de célébrer le noces de Francois d'epinay de Saint — Luc, grand am1 du roi Henri III et l'un de ses favoris les plus intimes, avec Jeanne de Cossé Brissac, fille du maréchal de France de ce nom....
Le dimanche gras de l'année 1578, après la fête du popu laire, ettandis que s'éteignaient dans les rues les rumeurs de la joyeuse journée, commençait une fête splendide dans le ma gnifique hôtel que venait de sé' fa1re bâtir, de l'autre côté de l eau et presque en face du Louvre, cette illustre famille de Montmorency qui, alliée à la royauté de France, marchait l'ê gale des familles princières. Cette fête particulière, qui suc cédait a la fête publique, avait pour but de célébrer le noces de Francois d'epinay de Saint — Luc, grand am1 du roi Henri III et l'un de ses favoris les plus intimes, avec Jeanne de Cossé Brissac, fille du maréchal de France de ce nom....
- GenresFiction
346 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2011
2 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Alexandre Dumas
6,855 books12.5k followersThis note regards Alexandre Dumas, père, the father of Alexandre Dumas, fils (son). For the son, see Alexandre Dumas fils.
Alexandre Dumas père, born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was a towering figure of 19th-century French literature whose historical novels and adventure tales earned global renown. Best known for The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and other swashbuckling epics, Dumas crafted stories filled with daring heroes, dramatic twists, and vivid historical backdrops. His works, often serialized and immensely popular with the public, helped shape the modern adventure genre and remain enduring staples of world literature.
Dumas was the son of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a celebrated general in Revolutionary France and the highest-ranking man of African descent in a European army at the time. His father’s early death left the family in poverty, but Dumas’s upbringing was nonetheless marked by strong personal ambition and a deep admiration for his father’s achievements. He moved to Paris as a young man and began his literary career writing for the theatre, quickly rising to prominence in the Romantic movement with successful plays like Henri III et sa cour and Antony.
In the 1840s, Dumas turned increasingly toward prose fiction, particularly serialized novels, which reached vast audiences through French newspapers. His collaboration with Auguste Maquet, a skilled plotter and historian, proved fruitful. While Maquet drafted outlines and conducted research, Dumas infused the narratives with flair, dialogue, and color. The result was a string of literary triumphs, including The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both published in 1844. These novels exemplified Dumas’s flair for suspenseful pacing, memorable characters, and grand themes of justice, loyalty, and revenge.
The D’Artagnan Romances—The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte of Bragelonne—cemented his fame. They follow the adventures of the titular Gascon hero and his comrades Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, blending historical fact and fiction into richly imagined narratives. The Count of Monte Cristo offered a darker, more introspective tale of betrayal and retribution, with intricate plotting and a deeply philosophical core.
Dumas was also active in journalism and theater. He founded the Théâtre Historique in Paris, which staged dramatizations of his own novels. A prolific and energetic writer, he is estimated to have written or co-written over 100,000 pages of fiction, plays, memoirs, travel books, and essays. He also had a strong interest in food and published a massive culinary encyclopedia, Le Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine, filled with recipes, anecdotes, and reflections on gastronomy.
Despite his enormous success, Dumas was frequently plagued by financial troubles. He led a lavish lifestyle, building the ornate Château de Monte-Cristo near Paris, employing large staffs, and supporting many friends and relatives. His generosity and appetite for life often outpaced his income, leading to mounting debts. Still, his creative drive rarely waned.
Dumas’s mixed-race background was a source of both pride and tension in his life. He was outspoken about his heritage and used his platform to address race and injustice. In his novel Georges, he explored issues of colonialism and identity through a Creole protagonist. Though he encountered racism, he refused to be silenced, famously replying to a racial insult by pointing to his ancestry and achievements with dignity and wit.
Later in life, Dumas continued writing and traveling, spending time in Belgium, Italy, and Russia. He supported nationalist causes, particularly Italian unification, and even founded a newspaper to advocate for Giuseppe Garibaldi. Though his popularity waned somewhat in his final years, his literary legacy grew steadily. He wrote in a style that was accessible, entertaining, and emotionally reso
Alexandre Dumas père, born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, was a towering figure of 19th-century French literature whose historical novels and adventure tales earned global renown. Best known for The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and other swashbuckling epics, Dumas crafted stories filled with daring heroes, dramatic twists, and vivid historical backdrops. His works, often serialized and immensely popular with the public, helped shape the modern adventure genre and remain enduring staples of world literature.
Dumas was the son of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a celebrated general in Revolutionary France and the highest-ranking man of African descent in a European army at the time. His father’s early death left the family in poverty, but Dumas’s upbringing was nonetheless marked by strong personal ambition and a deep admiration for his father’s achievements. He moved to Paris as a young man and began his literary career writing for the theatre, quickly rising to prominence in the Romantic movement with successful plays like Henri III et sa cour and Antony.
In the 1840s, Dumas turned increasingly toward prose fiction, particularly serialized novels, which reached vast audiences through French newspapers. His collaboration with Auguste Maquet, a skilled plotter and historian, proved fruitful. While Maquet drafted outlines and conducted research, Dumas infused the narratives with flair, dialogue, and color. The result was a string of literary triumphs, including The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, both published in 1844. These novels exemplified Dumas’s flair for suspenseful pacing, memorable characters, and grand themes of justice, loyalty, and revenge.
The D’Artagnan Romances—The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte of Bragelonne—cemented his fame. They follow the adventures of the titular Gascon hero and his comrades Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, blending historical fact and fiction into richly imagined narratives. The Count of Monte Cristo offered a darker, more introspective tale of betrayal and retribution, with intricate plotting and a deeply philosophical core.
Dumas was also active in journalism and theater. He founded the Théâtre Historique in Paris, which staged dramatizations of his own novels. A prolific and energetic writer, he is estimated to have written or co-written over 100,000 pages of fiction, plays, memoirs, travel books, and essays. He also had a strong interest in food and published a massive culinary encyclopedia, Le Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine, filled with recipes, anecdotes, and reflections on gastronomy.
Despite his enormous success, Dumas was frequently plagued by financial troubles. He led a lavish lifestyle, building the ornate Château de Monte-Cristo near Paris, employing large staffs, and supporting many friends and relatives. His generosity and appetite for life often outpaced his income, leading to mounting debts. Still, his creative drive rarely waned.
Dumas’s mixed-race background was a source of both pride and tension in his life. He was outspoken about his heritage and used his platform to address race and injustice. In his novel Georges, he explored issues of colonialism and identity through a Creole protagonist. Though he encountered racism, he refused to be silenced, famously replying to a racial insult by pointing to his ancestry and achievements with dignity and wit.
Later in life, Dumas continued writing and traveling, spending time in Belgium, Italy, and Russia. He supported nationalist causes, particularly Italian unification, and even founded a newspaper to advocate for Giuseppe Garibaldi. Though his popularity waned somewhat in his final years, his literary legacy grew steadily. He wrote in a style that was accessible, entertaining, and emotionally reso
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 26, 2025
Taustal, milleks on Pärtliööle järgnenud nn. «kolme Henri sõda» ja Valois’de dünastia mandumine selle viimase esindaja Henri III ajal, saab alguse kauni Diane de Meridori ja vapra krahv de Bussy armastuslugu.
Minu kommentaar: Seikluslik ajalooliste sugemetega romaan. Dumas'le omane jutustamisstill oleks ehk minu teismeikka paremini sobinud, aga sellegipoolest ühendab see raamat mulle mitmeid meelepäraseid nüansse :)
Minu kommentaar: Seikluslik ajalooliste sugemetega romaan. Dumas'le omane jutustamisstill oleks ehk minu teismeikka paremini sobinud, aga sellegipoolest ühendab see raamat mulle mitmeid meelepäraseid nüansse :)
March 22, 2017
Chicot rocks! I don't think There is someone better or even smarter than him.. ( And Yes I absolutely ignore the presence of Catherine of Medici)
This book was one big riddle full of intrigues and knotty, complicated life stories of the monarchy in the 16th century. Just read these books and you won't regret.
This book was one big riddle full of intrigues and knotty, complicated life stories of the monarchy in the 16th century. Just read these books and you won't regret.
February 12, 2021
👀☕ ☆☆☆☆ !!!
Chicot ... :)))..un personaj interesant a lui Dumas...
Chicot ... :)))..un personaj interesant a lui Dumas...
March 24, 2021
A doua carte din serie prezinta aproape fidel modul de viata al epocii dar si apacuaturile clasei nobiliarea din Franata la sfârșitul secolului al XVI-lea.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews