Amaury

by Alexandre Dumas

A romantic novel (with moments of both tragedy and comedy) on the general theme of jealousy, set in the countryside outside Paris in 1838-39. In Amaury, Dumas attempts an artistic dissection of jealousy, but all his characters keep turning into Alexandre Dumas, (who finds jealousy an unworthy emotion) and rise above it. Amaury is also of interest as Dumas' sole attempt at an epistolary novel, a form that (as this book shows) Dumas found uncongenial, since he kept abandoning the epistolary format for straight narration, and all of the letters read as if written by the same person, which, of course, they were.As the novel opens, a group of French aristocrats are conversing, and one of them asks the question, "Meurt-on d'amour?" Does one die of love? In response, one them pulls forth a manuscript that purports to be the diary and letters of the family of the deceased M. d'Avrigny, widower and court physician to the King. The novel is nominally composed of the diary and letters being read aloud.Amaury de Leoville, young, and wealthy, and orphaned, is beginning his career in the French diplomatic service. Amaury was raised by M. d'Avrigny, a friend of his late father, along side d'Avrigny's frail blonde daughter, Madeleine, and yet another orphan, the vigorous dark-haired Antoinette.Amaury has fallen in love with Madeleine, while both Madeleine and Antoinette have fallen in love with Amaury. Amaury asks M. d'Avrigny for Madeleine's hand, is summarily refused and thrown out of his childhood home, because, as M. d'Avrigny confides to his diary, he is jealous of Madeleine's love for Amaury. After a perfunctory chapter of anguish, M. d'Avrigny decides he is being unreasonable and permits the wedding. Unfortunately, Madeleine is dying of consumption (tuberculosis), so the wedding never occurs. Madeleine infers that Antoinette also loves Amaury, and, jealous of her rude good health, subjects Antoinette to assorted undeserved slights. After a perfunctory chapter of anguish, Madeleine decides she is being unfair, and begs Antoinette's forgiveness, which Antoinette of course grants.Dumas vividly describes Madeleine's decline and death, and the extravagant grief which inflicts her father, lover, and cousin. Amaury plans suicide, but is dissuaded. M. d'Avrigny deteriorates in grief and solitude. Amaury travels on his diplomatic mission, and corresponds with Antoinette, who swears she will never marry. However, M. d'Avrigny decides that it forms part of his parental duty to find a good match for Antoinette, and asks Amaury, on his return, to act as Antoinette's guardian in the event of his (expected) death. Two presentable suitors are rustled up, a young Marquis and Amaury's friend Philip.From tragedy, Dumas manages a swift transition to comedy. Amaury has, without being aware of it, fallen in love with Antoinette (who has always loved Amaury), and the finds the two suitors highly objectionable. When Philip appears to be finding favor with Antoinette, Amaury challenges Philip to a duel. Philip accepts the challenge, despite never having touched either sword or pistol. The duel ends in farce when Philip inadvertently shoots off the hat of Amaury's second. The second, enraged, shoots off Philip's hat, and everyone decides that they have behaved unreasonably.M. d'Avrigny gives his blessing and then dies, Amaury and Antoinette marry and live happily ever after. Dumas concludes (I think) that it is better to live for love than to die for it.

Genres: France, Classics

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1843

About the author

This 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

Reviews

[Agir(آگِر) · Rating 3 out of 5]

الکساندر دوما: اگر دو انگلیسیِ غریبه را در یک اتاق تنها بگذارید، شاید ساعت‌ها یک کلمه هم رد و بدل نکنند...اما فرانسوی‌ها برعکس انگلیسی‌ها خیلی خون‌گرم و اهل معاشرت هستند و چنان گرم حرف زدن می‌شوند که انگار سال‌هاست همدیگر را می‌شناسند

نمیدونم الکساندر دوما خواسته تیکه بندازه یا اینکه فقط واقعیتو گفته!؟ اما یه چیز جالب که بارها با چشمای خودم دیدم اینه که کُردها حداقل تو این مورد بسیار شبیه فرانسوی‌ها هستند؛ و حتی افراطی‌تر از اونا


یکی از دوستام رفته بود به سیلوانا(از مناطق کُردنشین شهر ارومیه) و وقت ناهار غذاخوری پیدا نمی‌کنه و یک راست اولین خونه‌ای که می‌رسه زنگشو میزنه و میگه: سلام. اومدم ناهار
صاحب خونه که ایشون رو نمیشناسه، راحت و بدون تعجب میگه: بفرما برادر، خیلی خوش اومدی


محمد قاضی مترجمِ سرشناس تعریف می‌کنه: تنهایی رفته بودم لندن و اونجا از بی هم‌صحبتی رنج می‌بردم و خیابان‌ها رو گز می‌کردم که یه دفعه شنیدم دو مرد که جلوتر از من راه می‌رفتن بهم میگن "کاک" . سریع خودمو رسوندم بهشون و گفتم "منم کاکم"* و ساعتها گرم صحبت شدیم


ماموستا هژاراز زبان یکی از رفقاش تعریف میکنه:

با ئەوەش لە حەمەد بگێڕمەوە:
این رو هم از "حمد" تعریف کنم
لە کەرکووک چووبووە چاخانەیەک، گوتبووی کەباب دەخۆم. ناردبوویان کەبابیان بۆ هێنابوو. کە خواردی و هەستا، بە خاوەن‌چاخانەکەی گوت:
در کرکوک به چایخانه‌ای رفته بود و گفته بود کباب می‌خوام. آنها هم فرستاده بودن براش کباب بیارن. وقتی غذا را تموم کرده بود، به صاحب چایخانه گفته بود
ــ دەست خۆش
دست خوش
ــ یانی چی؟
یعنی چی؟
ــ له وڵاتی ئێمە پیاو ئەگەر پووڵی نەبوو، دەڵێ دەست خۆش!
در سرزمین ما(کردستان ایران) وقتی مرد پول نداشته باشد، می‌گوید دست خوش
ــ جوابەکەی چییە؟
جوابش چیه؟
ــ سەر خۆش!
سرخوش!
ــ بەو شەرتە سەر خۆش، هەموو ڕۆژ بێیەوە لام و «دەس خۆش، سەر خۆش» بکەین!
به این شرط سرخوش، که همه روز بیایی پیشم و "دست خوش، سرخوش" بگیم


*در زبان کُردی به برادر می‌گویند کاک و قاضی خواسته بگه منم کوردم

[Golshad · Rating 1 out of 5]

اصلا کتاب جالبی نبود😑
خیلی کلیشه‌ای و خسته کننده 👎🏻

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

رمان های فرانسوی:من برای عشق می میرم
در کل هدف این کتاب نشون دادن انواع قسم های عشق و حسادته که در راس اون عشق عاشق به معشوق و عشق پدر به فرزند قرار گرفته.شاید همه ما تا حدودی با عشق مادر به فرزند آشنا هستیم و گرچه تجربه مادر شدن رو هم نداشته باشیم، کتاب های مختلفی راجب این موضوع خوندیم ولی این اولین تجربه من برای اشنا شدن با احساسات و افکار یک پدر بود.رفتار پدرهامون شاید چیزیه که ما روزانه اغلب باهاشون سروکار داریم،اما چیزی که واقعا در اعماق ذهن و قلبشون میگذره ممکنه یک مقدار ناشناخته یاقی مونده باشه که این کتاب با زیباترین و لطیف ترین جمله اون هارو بازگو می کنه.

[Hosna R · Rating 2 out of 5]

داستان روان و خوشخوان که تقریبا یه شبه تموم شد.
احتمالا از کتاب اصطلاح آموری بازی یادم بمونه :)

[elaheh · Rating 4 out of 5]

یک داستان عاشقانه غم انگیز ،داستان عشق دو جوان به نام اموری و مادلن که شدت عشق مادلن ضعیف را بیمار میکند داستان در پی جواب این پرسش است که اگر عاشق از معشوق جدا شود چه خواهد شد؟و داستان مقایسه عشق پدری و عشق معشوق است
قصه بسیار زیبا و گیرا نوشته شده است

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

meh

[Galea Marius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best romance book

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una novel·leta. Gaire res a comentar. Més aquí

[Maria Marquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have felt this novel had a bit of everything that I needed from an emotional perspective, I got some drama, some loss, some laugh, some sadness and in the end it was just sweet and compelling.

[charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love that makes you live and love that makes you die..
I tried to read this novel when I was a child. Couldn't really understand much and gave up around chapter X. Now nearly two decades later I finished it and I really liked the plot. It starts rather boring but culmination is unexpected and pretty fascinating.
I'm not sure it will resonate with many people of our time though. For me, the book holds sentimental value, but it may struggle to compete with contemporary romance stories.

[J. D. Román · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es una novela entretenida, con una escritura muy rápida. Me parece una buena novela para empezar con Dumas.

Construye unas reflexiones interesantes sobre amar a alguien que quizás quiso a un amigo tuyo en el pasado, sobre todo en el personaje de Antonia, un personaje tan bien construido como su prima Magdalena.

[Ammar Eslamkhah · Rating 3 out of 5]

داستان بامزه ای بود. با ادبیات خاص خودش و سالی که نوشته شده.
وقتی می ری عطاری، بعد از اینکه تعدادی عطر خوب و بد و تست کردی، فروشنده یه بطری قهوه بهت می ده که بو کنی و بتونی دوباره تست کنی.
اون بوی قهوه در اون مکان و اون زمان، کمک می کنه که از ادامه دادن بوییدن عطرها لذت ببری
این کتاب هم مثل اون بوی قهوه اس.

[Ramón S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me ha parecido larguísimo y casi insoportable al final. Cada vez me causaba más rechazo el dichoso Amaury y menos gracia me hacía el humor de Alejandro Dumas.
Lo mejor: Antonia
Sólo para romántic@s empedernidos

[Miguel Ángel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una bonita historia del genio Dumás donde un joven rico, Amaury de Léoville vive un tórrido romance con Madelaine, este amor pasará por muchas peripecias, son historias se encuentran en el diario del señor d' Avrigny

[El Rincón desconocido · Rating 4 out of 5]

En general me gustó, la forma en que está narrado me pareció muy ágil y en ningún momento me aburrió; sin embargo, en cuanto a la historia hubo un detalle que no me gustó y que en general no me gusta. Nomás por eso no tiene 5 estrellas.

[Gema Lecturas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amaury: Aunque menos conocido, es un libro que me ha gustado mucho. Aborda temas como el amor y la muerte. y me impactó la manera en la que comienza la novela, con una pregunta intrigante: "¿Se muere de amor?

[Pablo A. Anduaga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Final excepcional, como siempre, una maravilla como lo inicia... para un largo debate sobre el amor y sus diferentes ramas

[SilveryTongue · Rating 3 out of 5]

0,3 estrellas

[Teresa Villaseñor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sappy and corny, predictable and boring.

[Nazanin · Rating 3 out of 5]

یکی از روان ترین های دوما

[Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is quite emotional and very descriptive. Kind of sad in the beginning while it explains all what happens to Margarita but in the end it teaches us a valuable lesson. Recommended.