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Los hermanos Corsos (Otras Latitudes nº 20)
CRITICA
«Los historiadores deberían leer a Dumas; probablemente los mejores lo hacen; no sería difícil adivinar en sus libros la probabilidad de que se hayan nutrido de las novelas fantásticas, imaginativas, ágiles, pero no sin fundamento, que escribió durante tantos años Alejandro Dumas.» Julián Marías
Quienes deseen una lectura breve, sencilla y entretenida y , a la vez, con notable valor literario, Los hermanos corsos es una excelente elección. ACEPRENSA
Alexandre Dumas narra en primera persona, como si de una vivencia que le hubiera acaecido se tratara, la fabulosa historia que recoge Los hermanos corsos. En la novela se sazonan con destreza las observaciones de
un libro de viajes y la aventura galante con un matiz sobrenatural, logrando una narración que proporciona un buen rato de lectura como sólo saben hacerlo los maestros en su género. Solodelibros
SINOPSIS
Los hermanos corsos, 1844, ambientada en Córcega y Francia en el año 1841, y narrada en primera persona por el mismo Alexandre Dumas, cuenta sus experiencias en un viaje a esa isla, cuando, al alojarse en la casa de los de Franchi, conoció a la señora Savilia y a su hijo Lucien, joven alegre y extrovertido, inclinado a la vida de campo, quien le cuenta que tiene un hermano gemelo llamado Louis que vive en París y es, por el contrario, tranquilo y sosegado. Al nacer, ambos estaban unidos por el costado y, aunque fueron separados, esa unión se mantuvo para siempre haciendo sentir a uno el dolor del otro y viceversa, sin importar la distancia que los separase...
A través de la vida de esta familia corsa y de la mirada extranjera de un ilustre espectador, el lector se acercará a las costumbres de Córcega en el siglo XIX, especialmente a las relativas a las famosas vendettas, y a las del París de la época, con sus fiestas y sus retos a duelo.
El argumento y las sugerentes imágenes de la novela han propiciado que haya sido llevada al cine en numerosas ocasiones.
184 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1844
51 people are currently reading
1263 people want to read
About the author
Alexandre Dumas
7,032 books12.4k 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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June 14, 2025
UN PRIVILEGIO PARTICOLARE
La prima versione cinematografica di questo romanzo risale all’epoca del muto, 1917, stesso titolo, regia di André Antoine.
Molto divertente. Una costruzione narrativa affascinante. Un centinaio di pagine di puro diletto.
L’io narrante è proprio Alessandro Dumas padre, scrittore già famoso, che intorno ai quarant’anni viaggia in Corsica per la prima volta, e nella biblioteca della casa dove riceve ospitalità scova una sua opera, “Impressioni di viaggio”.
Per cui, da una parte è come se scrivesse una sorta di diario o reportage di viaggio, dall’altro invece siamo nel bel mezzo di un breve ma intenso romanzo.
Al centro, il tema della vendetta, dell’onore, e del doppio, esattamente come in “Il conte di Montecristo”.
La seconda è del 1939, sempre in bianco e nero, firmata a quattro mani da Robert Siodmak e Géo Kelber. Non riesco a trovare nessuna immagine, neppure della locandina. Qui un ritratto di Siodmak, del quale come minimo ricorderò sempre “The Spiral Staircase”.
Dumas intraprende un viaggio in Corsica. Si ferma per la notte presso la famiglia altolocata di un villaggio, emozionata nell’avere ospite il celebre scrittore. La famiglia è composta dalla madre con due figli gemelli ventenni (il doppio), Lucien che vive sull’isola e Louis che studia legge a Parigi.
C’è un’annosa contesa e Dumas accetta di accompagnare Lucien per fare da arbitro (la vendetta). Il giovane ha la facoltà di ‘sentire’ telepaticamente quello che sta succedendo al fratello gemello, ma anche di ‘vedere’ il padre morto.
Tornato a Parigi, il romanziere conosce anche l’altro fratello gemello, Louis: anche in questo caso si presta ad accompagnarlo a un duello.
La terza, e per ora ultima, è del 1961, firmata dall’italiano Anton Giulio Majano, che poi divenne una star della nostra televisione firmando alcune delle teleserie più celebri di quell’epoca, da “La cittadella” a “David Copperfield” a “La freccia nera”, da “E le stelle stanno a guardare” a “L’amante dell’Orsa Maggiore.
La prima versione cinematografica di questo romanzo risale all’epoca del muto, 1917, stesso titolo, regia di André Antoine.
Molto divertente. Una costruzione narrativa affascinante. Un centinaio di pagine di puro diletto.
L’io narrante è proprio Alessandro Dumas padre, scrittore già famoso, che intorno ai quarant’anni viaggia in Corsica per la prima volta, e nella biblioteca della casa dove riceve ospitalità scova una sua opera, “Impressioni di viaggio”.
Per cui, da una parte è come se scrivesse una sorta di diario o reportage di viaggio, dall’altro invece siamo nel bel mezzo di un breve ma intenso romanzo.
Al centro, il tema della vendetta, dell’onore, e del doppio, esattamente come in “Il conte di Montecristo”.
La seconda è del 1939, sempre in bianco e nero, firmata a quattro mani da Robert Siodmak e Géo Kelber. Non riesco a trovare nessuna immagine, neppure della locandina. Qui un ritratto di Siodmak, del quale come minimo ricorderò sempre “The Spiral Staircase”.
Dumas intraprende un viaggio in Corsica. Si ferma per la notte presso la famiglia altolocata di un villaggio, emozionata nell’avere ospite il celebre scrittore. La famiglia è composta dalla madre con due figli gemelli ventenni (il doppio), Lucien che vive sull’isola e Louis che studia legge a Parigi.
C’è un’annosa contesa e Dumas accetta di accompagnare Lucien per fare da arbitro (la vendetta). Il giovane ha la facoltà di ‘sentire’ telepaticamente quello che sta succedendo al fratello gemello, ma anche di ‘vedere’ il padre morto.
Tornato a Parigi, il romanziere conosce anche l’altro fratello gemello, Louis: anche in questo caso si presta ad accompagnarlo a un duello.
La terza, e per ora ultima, è del 1961, firmata dall’italiano Anton Giulio Majano, che poi divenne una star della nostra televisione firmando alcune delle teleserie più celebri di quell’epoca, da “La cittadella” a “David Copperfield” a “La freccia nera”, da “E le stelle stanno a guardare” a “L’amante dell’Orsa Maggiore.
June 16, 2022
L’antipasto del Conte
L’antipasto del conte troneggiava nella lista des entrées, il nome era davvero invitante e io non ho resistito. Con quattordici Euro mi sono aggiudicato una fetta di prosciutto stopposo, un crostino (vecchio) rianimato sulla piastra, una fetta di salame (con troppo aglio) e due olive di numero.
I fratelli corsi è un racconto manieroso, i personaggi usano un galateo ottocentesco caduto in disuso, non bastasse vi è una discutibile deriva occulta. La narrazione è lineare, priva di colpi di scena, ci si immagina ve ne saranno, si rimane al contempo delusi e sollevati quando si scopre che non ve ne sono, che le cose vanno come aveva anticipato Dumas tramite la premonizione di uno dei personaggi.
L’antipasto del conte avrebbe dovuto essere un piatto freddo con gustose fette di vendetta tagliate sottili, invece quelle fette nel piatto non c’erano, qualcuno le aveva sottratte prima di portarlo in tavola, al loro posto c’era un’economia di caratteri che non ti aspetteresti dal cottimista Dumas.
Se nel primo racconto la vendetta non si gusta, nel secondo (Gli studenti di Bologna) è grossolana, del genere trappola per topi
https://youtu.be/ymNZkx0MlWA
ritornano sovrannaturale e occulto come due fastidiose spezie del cui gusto si farebbe volentieri a meno.
Questi due racconti sono la riprova che i libri minori dei grandi autori, non sono minori per scelta editoriale, sono minori e basta.
Ordinate il Conte di Montecristo senza nessun antipasto, è un piatto unico che sazierà i vostri appetiti più bassi.
L’antipasto del conte troneggiava nella lista des entrées, il nome era davvero invitante e io non ho resistito. Con quattordici Euro mi sono aggiudicato una fetta di prosciutto stopposo, un crostino (vecchio) rianimato sulla piastra, una fetta di salame (con troppo aglio) e due olive di numero.
I fratelli corsi è un racconto manieroso, i personaggi usano un galateo ottocentesco caduto in disuso, non bastasse vi è una discutibile deriva occulta. La narrazione è lineare, priva di colpi di scena, ci si immagina ve ne saranno, si rimane al contempo delusi e sollevati quando si scopre che non ve ne sono, che le cose vanno come aveva anticipato Dumas tramite la premonizione di uno dei personaggi.
L’antipasto del conte avrebbe dovuto essere un piatto freddo con gustose fette di vendetta tagliate sottili, invece quelle fette nel piatto non c’erano, qualcuno le aveva sottratte prima di portarlo in tavola, al loro posto c’era un’economia di caratteri che non ti aspetteresti dal cottimista Dumas.
Se nel primo racconto la vendetta non si gusta, nel secondo (Gli studenti di Bologna) è grossolana, del genere trappola per topi
https://youtu.be/ymNZkx0MlWA
ritornano sovrannaturale e occulto come due fastidiose spezie del cui gusto si farebbe volentieri a meno.
Questi due racconti sono la riprova che i libri minori dei grandi autori, non sono minori per scelta editoriale, sono minori e basta.
Ordinate il Conte di Montecristo senza nessun antipasto, è un piatto unico che sazierà i vostri appetiti più bassi.
August 15, 2019
La Corsica dell’800, animata da tradizioni ancestrali, arcaici rituali; paesini abbarbicati sopra scogliere a picco sul mare, castelli in cui vivono bellissime dame e fratelli gemelli legati da oscuri vincoli di sangue, macchia mediterranea, onore e fucilate. È su quest’isola che la narrazione di Dumas mi ha proiettata. Che importa la trama, come si svolge o come va a finire?
https://youtu.be/HAlMKaddLuY
https://youtu.be/HAlMKaddLuY
November 24, 2016
I was doing some minor research recently into people's ideas about twin telepathy, and was reminded of this book. I assumed I hadn't read it, so I hied me to Project Gutenberg to get myself a copy; I now think I had read it, but so very long ago that it was a matter of dimly recalling various plot elements as they happened rather than being able to predict what might happen next.
Our narrator, who might as well be Dumas himself, is on a trip to Corsica. He takes lodgings at the home of Madame Savilia de Franchi and her son Lucien, and soon becomes involved with the doings of the family. He helps Lucien bring to a peaceful close a long-running vendetta between two families; this sequence has nothing to do with the main plot except, perhaps, to offer a different meaning to the title, because the feuding families are effectively twins of each other.
Lucien explains to the narrator that his identical twin brother Louis lives in Paris, and that he can sense that Louis is going through some sort of emotional trough. For, you see, there's an extrasensory bond between the two young men -- not telepathy, precisely; not so much thought transference as emotion transference. They also have the habit of seeing ghostly harbingers at important moments.
On return to Paris, the narrator makes the acquaintance of Louis and discovers that he is indeed going through emotional vicissitudes. He has fallen in love with the wife of a good friend who's away on business for a few months; he himself is acting with admirable restraint towards her, but now he's learned that the scoundrelly cad Chateau Renaud has been toying with her affections. The upshot is a duel between the two men, in which Louis loses his life. With astonishing speed Lucien, having been told by the spirit of his brother what has happened, arrives in Paris to demand a rematch . . .
This is an entertaining enough novella, albeit a tad long for what it has to say; the rather tedious digression about the feuding families becomes more irking the more I think about it! I've read very little Dumas, and none at all aside from this slimmish volume since my teens; I really must do something to improve this situation . . .
Our narrator, who might as well be Dumas himself, is on a trip to Corsica. He takes lodgings at the home of Madame Savilia de Franchi and her son Lucien, and soon becomes involved with the doings of the family. He helps Lucien bring to a peaceful close a long-running vendetta between two families; this sequence has nothing to do with the main plot except, perhaps, to offer a different meaning to the title, because the feuding families are effectively twins of each other.
Lucien explains to the narrator that his identical twin brother Louis lives in Paris, and that he can sense that Louis is going through some sort of emotional trough. For, you see, there's an extrasensory bond between the two young men -- not telepathy, precisely; not so much thought transference as emotion transference. They also have the habit of seeing ghostly harbingers at important moments.
On return to Paris, the narrator makes the acquaintance of Louis and discovers that he is indeed going through emotional vicissitudes. He has fallen in love with the wife of a good friend who's away on business for a few months; he himself is acting with admirable restraint towards her, but now he's learned that the scoundrelly cad Chateau Renaud has been toying with her affections. The upshot is a duel between the two men, in which Louis loses his life. With astonishing speed Lucien, having been told by the spirit of his brother what has happened, arrives in Paris to demand a rematch . . .
This is an entertaining enough novella, albeit a tad long for what it has to say; the rather tedious digression about the feuding families becomes more irking the more I think about it! I've read very little Dumas, and none at all aside from this slimmish volume since my teens; I really must do something to improve this situation . . .
July 9, 2013
I don't know why I love stories about dueling so much. I guess it has something to do with the way the two parties have to fight. It's not even a "fight", it's a mind game designed to break the weakest man as soon as possible. It's endurance what the duel is about, not which of them is better.
Wonderful writing, but what could have I expected from the never aging Alexandre Dumas?
Wonderful writing, but what could have I expected from the never aging Alexandre Dumas?
January 3, 2023
J'ai écoutée la version de littérature lu par Juliette. C'est très intrigant ce livre, avec les jeaumeaux identiques, les visites des morts qui ne mens pas, et surtout la vendetta. Très intéressant comment histoire et aussi pour connaitre les habitudes des Corses. Et la dernierre ligne ! Incroyable !!
litteratureaudio.com/livre-audio-grat...
/
I listened to the litaudio version read by Juliette. It was a very intriguing book, with identical twins, visits from the dead who do not lie, and above all, The Vendetta. Very interesting as a story and also to see the customs of the Coriscans. And the last line of the story! Incredible!!
and La guerre entre deux familles durant 4 siecles !
End of chapter 12 -excellent suspense, as always, with Mr. Dumas, pere.
(still not sure why the edition I am updating is not the one that GR shows me to review...)
litteratureaudio.com/livre-audio-grat...
/
I listened to the litaudio version read by Juliette. It was a very intriguing book, with identical twins, visits from the dead who do not lie, and above all, The Vendetta. Very interesting as a story and also to see the customs of the Coriscans. And the last line of the story! Incredible!!
and La guerre entre deux familles durant 4 siecles !
End of chapter 12 -excellent suspense, as always, with Mr. Dumas, pere.
(still not sure why the edition I am updating is not the one that GR shows me to review...)
August 22, 2020
This is an early short story by Dumas. It is all about two siamese Corsican brothers Luis and Lucien who were separated. They were both involved in duels. Actually I find it fascinating to read about duels. In this book we read a lot about Corsica back then. This is one of the less stories by Dumas (pere). I loved it.
May 19, 2019
Do yourself a favour if you plan to read this book - don't read the description as it has a heavy spoiler.
August 20, 2024
Me ha enganchado. Buena literatura y buena traducción. Descriptiva y buenos diálogos. No quiero ir a Córcega.
September 24, 2023
A short novel, perfect to read on a trip to France. I really enjoy Dumas, the chivalry and adventures of the times, in a historical context. Of course there’s a lot that was bad about those times, the misogyny, classism, racism, etc. Putting that aside they are some of my favorites. Satisfying conclusion.
Read
July 11, 2021As it is a classic, I will give no official rating. That being said, it was a pleasant read—particularly because I read it while I was in Corsica! Highly recommend!
Want to read
March 6, 2014
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41881
TRANSLATED BY HENRY FRITH
Opening: N the beginning of March, 1841, I was travelling in Corsica.
Nothing is more picturesque and more easy to accomplish than a journey in Corsica. You can embark at Toulon, in twenty hours you will be in Ajaccio, and then in twenty-four hours more you are at Bastia.
Once there you can hire or purchase a horse. If you wish to hire a horse you can do so for five francs a-day; if you purchase one you can have a good animal for one hundred and fifty francs. And don’t sneer at the moderate price, for the horse hired or purchased will perform as great feats as the famous Gascon horse which leaped over the Pont Neuf, which neither Prospero nor Nautilus, the heroes of Chantilly and the Champ de Mars could do. He will traverse roads which Balmat himself could not cross without crampons, and will go over bridges upon which Auriol would need a balancing pole.
As for the traveller, all he has to do is to give the horse his head and let him go as he pleases; he does[Pg 6] not mind the danger. We may add that with this horse, which can go anywhere, the traveller can accomplish his fifteen leagues a day without stopping to bait.
February 28, 2017
It's nothing too extraordinary however I did rather enjoy the dynamic between our narrator and the two brothers. There was a fast friendship with each and I love that; there's so much respect and willingness to help one another which you generally don't find without ulterior motives in the modern day. There's not a huge amount of action but there is heart, and the short story contains whispers of more fascinating, longer stories. I enjoyed letting the imagination run with this one.
The connection between the brothers I found to be quite endearing, though I felt there could have been more in detailing their relationship.
I enjoyed it-as I enjoy all I've read so far by Dumas-but it's more about character than adventure, which may deter fans of his other work.
The connection between the brothers I found to be quite endearing, though I felt there could have been more in detailing their relationship.
I enjoyed it-as I enjoy all I've read so far by Dumas-but it's more about character than adventure, which may deter fans of his other work.
October 7, 2015
Extremely underwhelming from the great author of The Count of Monte Cristo.
First part of the story is all about the different clothes the men are wearing, then the manners of traveling, the manners of politesse in Corsica, weapons history, ghost stories. I just didn't care at all about the characters or this story. And predictable.
First part of the story is all about the different clothes the men are wearing, then the manners of traveling, the manners of politesse in Corsica, weapons history, ghost stories. I just didn't care at all about the characters or this story. And predictable.
March 27, 2025
Rànquing del que he llegit de l'autor:
1. El comte de Montecristo 4 ⭐️
2. Els tres mosqueters 4 ⭐️
3. Els germans corsos 3 ⭐️
1. El comte de Montecristo 4 ⭐️
2. Els tres mosqueters 4 ⭐️
3. Els germans corsos 3 ⭐️
October 7, 2020
En lo personal, yo no tengo mucho conocimiento de la cultura y costumbres de Córcega. Sin embargo, debo decir que alguna vez, mucho tiempo atrás, leí el comic Asterix en Córcega y, si bien no recuerdo los detalles específicos de la trama, debo decir que los estereotipos que presentan allí de los corsos son igualitos a lo que se ve en este libro.
El libro se lee en ocasiones menos como una novela y más como una crónica, o uno de los libros de viajes que solía escribir Dumas para beneficio de los lectores suyos que jamás habían salido de Francia. Tal vez se trate de un roman à clef, pero desconozco si está basado en alguna experiencia personal del autor. Como sea, mi punto para pensar esto es que el protagonista es el mismo Dumas, que cuenta sobre cómo conoció a los titulares hermanos corsos, al primero en Córcega y al segundo en París.
Es una novela breve y sencilla. En general bastante predecible, aún más porque los hermanos tienden a predecir qué es lo que les va a pasar. Como sus pronósticos dan en lo correcto, eso significa que ya no hay misterio en lo que va a ocurrir y sólo nos quedamos leyendo esperando a que ocurra.
El libro se lee en ocasiones menos como una novela y más como una crónica, o uno de los libros de viajes que solía escribir Dumas para beneficio de los lectores suyos que jamás habían salido de Francia. Tal vez se trate de un roman à clef, pero desconozco si está basado en alguna experiencia personal del autor. Como sea, mi punto para pensar esto es que el protagonista es el mismo Dumas, que cuenta sobre cómo conoció a los titulares hermanos corsos, al primero en Córcega y al segundo en París.
Es una novela breve y sencilla. En general bastante predecible, aún más porque los hermanos tienden a predecir qué es lo que les va a pasar. Como sus pronósticos dan en lo correcto, eso significa que ya no hay misterio en lo que va a ocurrir y sólo nos quedamos leyendo esperando a que ocurra.
February 27, 2024
3,5⭐️
Court roman parsemé de fantastique. On y découvre la force du lien qui unit les deux frères jumeaux.
Ce n'est pas ma lecture préférée, mais tout de même appréciable.
Court roman parsemé de fantastique. On y découvre la force du lien qui unit les deux frères jumeaux.
Ce n'est pas ma lecture préférée, mais tout de même appréciable.
October 31, 2024
3,5/5⭐️
February 12, 2024
L'évaluation est la plus difficile..3.5
March 23, 2021
A mediocre adventure given Alexandre Dumas' repertoire. It was action packed and a really well told story for what it's worth. Had decent enough action for a short novel but when it comes to Dumas, I think of The Count of Monte Cristo, which is the single most greatest novel I have ever read. The Corsican Brothers is too short hence lacked a proper build up and depth to hang with legendary novels like Monte Cristo and The Man in the Iron Mask. Despite that, it was a fun ride.
October 21, 2025
3.5/5. Read the Henry Frith translation on Proj. Gutenberg.
Perhaps irrelevant to the review at hand, but I heard about this novella in, um, the comments section of a Valjean/Javert fic on AO3. (It was canon compliant except for the part where they were soulmates who felt each other's pain.) Yes this is silly but I have to shoutout my fellow mid-19th century France fangirls. Ok now let's get serious; this story is about twin brothers who feel each other's pain, with the semi-scientific reason being they were born conjoined and separated later.
This also functions as a travelogue of Corsica. I'm sorely uneducated on the subject so I can't poke through the story's facade of verisimilitude. But if it can be believed, the blood feuds on the island were crazy. At one point we hear of a feud lasting for 4 centuries; it began when a female ancestor of the twins, Savilia, was coveted by an evil lord Giudice. She tricked him by inviting him into her castle, threw him into the dungeons, and THEN...
(You cannot imagine my shock when I read this lol.) Unfortunately for this insane girlboss, Giudice manages to escape, returns to the castle with armed men, subjects Savilia to gang rape after which she dies. So Savilia's sons fight Giudice's sons ad infinitum...until, at least, the twins' parents manage to kill the last surviving descendants of Giudice, centuries later.
This Corsican barbarity (my judgmental word, not Dumas' btw) is contrasted with the legal system of France, as exemplified in the twins themselves: one is a true Corsicanalpha male patriot and the other is a gentle soul studies law in Paris. Even so, as the latter half of the story returns to Paris, the main action revolves around a duel of honor, something which the Parisians treat as exciting, but within the confines of acceptable behavior. I know little about duels (if only I were a Hamilton/Burr shipper), but to me they seem to occupy an in between spot between a self perpetuating blood feud and the impartial justice system aspired to by ~modern~ countries. Is cosmopolitan Paris so different from rural Corsica in this aspect?
In the middle of all this, there is also a true supernatural element, which, uhh, apparently interested me the least out of everything. But overall, fun little story, first thing I ever read by Dumas and solid enough to make me want to read more, etc.
Perhaps irrelevant to the review at hand, but I heard about this novella in, um, the comments section of a Valjean/Javert fic on AO3. (It was canon compliant except for the part where they were soulmates who felt each other's pain.) Yes this is silly but I have to shoutout my fellow mid-19th century France fangirls. Ok now let's get serious; this story is about twin brothers who feel each other's pain, with the semi-scientific reason being they were born conjoined and separated later.
This also functions as a travelogue of Corsica. I'm sorely uneducated on the subject so I can't poke through the story's facade of verisimilitude. But if it can be believed, the blood feuds on the island were crazy. At one point we hear of a feud lasting for 4 centuries; it began when a female ancestor of the twins, Savilia, was coveted by an evil lord Giudice. She tricked him by inviting him into her castle, threw him into the dungeons, and THEN...
Every morning and every evening Savilia came down to the dungeon in which Giudice was confined, and then separated from him only by a grating, she would undress herself, and expose herself naked to him, a captive.
‘Giudice,’ she would say, ‘how do you expect that such an ugly man as you are can ever hope to possess all this?’
(You cannot imagine my shock when I read this lol.) Unfortunately for this insane girlboss, Giudice manages to escape, returns to the castle with armed men, subjects Savilia to gang rape after which she dies. So Savilia's sons fight Giudice's sons ad infinitum...until, at least, the twins' parents manage to kill the last surviving descendants of Giudice, centuries later.
This Corsican barbarity (my judgmental word, not Dumas' btw) is contrasted with the legal system of France, as exemplified in the twins themselves: one is a true Corsican
In the middle of all this, there is also a true supernatural element, which, uhh, apparently interested me the least out of everything. But overall, fun little story, first thing I ever read by Dumas and solid enough to make me want to read more, etc.
May 4, 2016
Think Corsican Brothers and you think of swashbuckling adventure. Think Alexander Dumas and you think of swashbuckling adventure. Yet read the original and what you get is ... a ghost story.
We can all blame the Douglas Fairbanks, Jnr. film for that misperception, a movie that I now realise buckled its own swash on top of the bare bones of Dumas's idea. The separated Siamese twin brothers remain, the cutlasses and romance were picturesque additions.
What we have here is a four hundred year old feud, a supernatural family tradition and two duels. Dumas also provides a fascinating peek into the Corsican passion for Vendetta and the consequences to the region, i.e. the houses all have barricaded windows.
It's long been a belief that twins share an uncanny telepathy of feelings. The Corsican brothers empathy has a spooky explanation, which is splendidly rounded out in the finale.
I myself am a twin and faithfully report that I too experience my brother's hangovers every Saturday morning.
We can all blame the Douglas Fairbanks, Jnr. film for that misperception, a movie that I now realise buckled its own swash on top of the bare bones of Dumas's idea. The separated Siamese twin brothers remain, the cutlasses and romance were picturesque additions.
What we have here is a four hundred year old feud, a supernatural family tradition and two duels. Dumas also provides a fascinating peek into the Corsican passion for Vendetta and the consequences to the region, i.e. the houses all have barricaded windows.
It's long been a belief that twins share an uncanny telepathy of feelings. The Corsican brothers empathy has a spooky explanation, which is splendidly rounded out in the finale.
I myself am a twin and faithfully report that I too experience my brother's hangovers every Saturday morning.
June 10, 2023
3.4 ☆
It started a little boring and I usually don't like stories told in first person POV, but towards the end it got weird and fantastical in a good sense, I wasn't expecting what happened at all; I liked it!
It started a little boring and I usually don't like stories told in first person POV, but towards the end it got weird and fantastical in a good sense, I wasn't expecting what happened at all; I liked it!
October 3, 2013
An unusual one from Dumas père, a short rushed tale involving the supernatural as its main element.
To date I've read 'The Count of Monte Cristo' and all six installments of the 'd'Artagnan Romances' so I am used to Dumas père taking his time over a tale and being measured and highly interesting, but this book was much different. I was attracted to it as it was advertised as a Dumas story featuring Conjoined twins as main characters and being a big fan of M. Noirtier de Villefort (a paralytic old man in 'The Count of Monte Cristo', who despite his disability became such an expressive character with such depth) I thought this would be a story that would entertain me, but Dumas' tale is focused more on ghosts and the spooky side of things.
There is a flowing story here as the author usually writes, but I feel that, like Conan Doyle, Dumas writes better when he avoids the pseudo-spiritual side of things.
DT 03/10/2013
To date I've read 'The Count of Monte Cristo' and all six installments of the 'd'Artagnan Romances' so I am used to Dumas père taking his time over a tale and being measured and highly interesting, but this book was much different. I was attracted to it as it was advertised as a Dumas story featuring Conjoined twins as main characters and being a big fan of M. Noirtier de Villefort (a paralytic old man in 'The Count of Monte Cristo', who despite his disability became such an expressive character with such depth) I thought this would be a story that would entertain me, but Dumas' tale is focused more on ghosts and the spooky side of things.
There is a flowing story here as the author usually writes, but I feel that, like Conan Doyle, Dumas writes better when he avoids the pseudo-spiritual side of things.
DT 03/10/2013
August 21, 2016
Dumas père usually entertains, with his rollicking adventure stories. This time, though, I was a bit disappointed. Apparently, he rushed to visit Corsica after the publication of Prosper Mérimée's 'Colomba' and stayed in an ancestral home in Sollacaro, where he discovered some of the history and legends of Corsica. These provided the inspiration for 'Les Frères Corses'.
The premise is good: twin brothers who live apart (one in Paris, one in Corsica) are nonetheless bound together by their sibling and family ties. However, the first half, which is set in Corsica, is barely believable. The local characters are a pastiche and Dumas fails to evoke the deep and menacing resonance of Corsican history. Dorothy Carrington said that no one had managed to write a convincing novel about vendetta, and she was right.
Even so, this light read kept me turning the pages. Don't expect to get an authentic sense of Corsica from it, though.
The premise is good: twin brothers who live apart (one in Paris, one in Corsica) are nonetheless bound together by their sibling and family ties. However, the first half, which is set in Corsica, is barely believable. The local characters are a pastiche and Dumas fails to evoke the deep and menacing resonance of Corsican history. Dorothy Carrington said that no one had managed to write a convincing novel about vendetta, and she was right.
Even so, this light read kept me turning the pages. Don't expect to get an authentic sense of Corsica from it, though.
January 18, 2009
That was about the shortest, most straightforward, and least brocaded Dumas story I have ever read. It is an enjoyable romp of revenge and the supernatural, and could easily have been included in Dumas' later book of spooky stories, "One Thousand and One Ghosts."
One of Dumas' earliest novels, and set in the present (1841), the book falls outside of Dumas' historical canon. We are therefore spared the twenty page historical digressions that sometimes inform but more often inflate his later novels, when he feels compelled to drop as much history on the reader as possible.
As a particular treat, Dumas himself is a main character!
Lastly, the village in the story, Sollacaro, is very near the archaeological site of Filitosia, so Agi, Eszti and I should be able to visit in May.
One of Dumas' earliest novels, and set in the present (1841), the book falls outside of Dumas' historical canon. We are therefore spared the twenty page historical digressions that sometimes inform but more often inflate his later novels, when he feels compelled to drop as much history on the reader as possible.
As a particular treat, Dumas himself is a main character!
Lastly, the village in the story, Sollacaro, is very near the archaeological site of Filitosia, so Agi, Eszti and I should be able to visit in May.
June 4, 2013
Free download available at Project Gutenberg
The French version of this ebook can be found at Ebooks libres & gratuits
Location 45:
La Corse est un départment français; mais la Corse est encore bien loin
d´être la France.
Location 841:
Maître Orlandi était, à ce qu´il paraît, de lópinion de Louis XV; qui avait, comme on le sait, pour maxime que l´exactitude est la politesse des rois.
The French version of this ebook can be found at Ebooks libres & gratuits
Location 45:
La Corse est un départment français; mais la Corse est encore bien loin
d´être la France.
Location 841:
Maître Orlandi était, à ce qu´il paraît, de lópinion de Louis XV; qui avait, comme on le sait, pour maxime que l´exactitude est la politesse des rois.
January 25, 2015
I see people saying it's very short and rushed, but this is what I liked about it. I like how he describes the life in Corsica at that period. I like all those little stories about de Franchi's ancestors. It's a short story, and yet I was able to enjoy it and feel as if I were there with him, I could see the places and breathe the air, I felt as if I'd known the characters in person, all in less than 100 pages. It was a fun, little dventure with Alexandre Dumas, père.
May 28, 2019
Esta historia del gran Dumas es una historia corta, o un cuento bastante largo, que visto desde la perspectiva de la época y las comunidades cerradas podría ser tomada como algo real por gente supersticiosa. Totalmente recomendable y entretenida. Se lee en poco tiempo.
Tengo un particular cariño por este libro debido a que inspiró, junto a otras catarsis, mi primera novela auto publicada. "Teoría rudimentaria sobre estados entrelazados y gemelos"
amazon.com/author/ggmelies
Tengo un particular cariño por este libro debido a que inspiró, junto a otras catarsis, mi primera novela auto publicada. "Teoría rudimentaria sobre estados entrelazados y gemelos"
amazon.com/author/ggmelies
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