The Black Count
Glory, revolution, betrayal and the real Count of Monte Cristo
Published on 25. April 2013
Book
Paperback/Softback
432 pages
978-0-09-957513-9 (ISBN)
Description
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR BIOGRAPHY 2013
'Completely absorbing'
Amanda Foreman
'Enthralling'
Guardian
'The Three Musketeers! The Count of Monte Cristo! The stories of course
are fiction. But here a prize-winning author shows us that the inspiration for
the swashbuckling stories was, in fact, Dumas's own father, Alex - the son
of a marquis and a black slave... He achieved a giddy ascent from private
in the Dragoons to the rank of general; an outsider who had grown up
among slaves, he was all for Liberty and Equality. Alex Dumas was the
stuff of legend'
Daily Mail
So how did such this extraordinary man get erased by history? Why are
there no statues of 'Monsieur Humanity' as his troops called him? The
Black Count uncovers what happened and the role Napoleon played in
Dumas's downfall. By walking the same ground as Dumas - from Haiti to
the Pyramids, Paris to the prison cell at Taranto - Reiss, like the novelist
before him, triumphantly resurrects this forgotten hero.
'Entrances from first to last. Dumas the novelist would be proud'
Independent
'Brilliant' Glasgow Herald
'Completely absorbing'
Amanda Foreman
'Enthralling'
Guardian
'The Three Musketeers! The Count of Monte Cristo! The stories of course
are fiction. But here a prize-winning author shows us that the inspiration for
the swashbuckling stories was, in fact, Dumas's own father, Alex - the son
of a marquis and a black slave... He achieved a giddy ascent from private
in the Dragoons to the rank of general; an outsider who had grown up
among slaves, he was all for Liberty and Equality. Alex Dumas was the
stuff of legend'
Daily Mail
So how did such this extraordinary man get erased by history? Why are
there no statues of 'Monsieur Humanity' as his troops called him? The
Black Count uncovers what happened and the role Napoleon played in
Dumas's downfall. By walking the same ground as Dumas - from Haiti to
the Pyramids, Paris to the prison cell at Taranto - Reiss, like the novelist
before him, triumphantly resurrects this forgotten hero.
'Entrances from first to last. Dumas the novelist would be proud'
Independent
'Brilliant' Glasgow Herald
Reviews / Votes
Richly detailed, highly researched and completely absorbing... A triumph -- Amanda Foreman Totally thrilling... Brings to life one of history's great forgotten characters -- Simon Sebag Montefiore We believe we know the glories of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. We believe we understand the horror of slavery and the oppression of Africans. But what is the relationship between the grand goal of liberation and the deep tragedy of racism? As Reiss shows us, answers can be found in the extraordinary life of a forgotten French hero of the great revolutionary campaigns - a hero who was black -- Timothy Snyder Tom Reiss can do it all: gather startling research and write inspired prose; find life's great stories and then tell them with real brilliance. In The Black Count the master journalist-storyteller opens the door to the truth behind one of literature's most exciting stories, and opens it wide enough to show the delicate beauty of the lives within -- Strauss, National Book Critics Circle Award winning author of Half a Life and Chang and Eng A terrific story...(Reiss) is to be congratulated for retrieving such a splendid character from the dustbin of history -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times * A terrific story, every bit as good as one of Dumas's novels, and Reiss tells it with suitable gusto and swagger -- John Preston * Mail on Sunday * A rarefied, intimate literary study delineating a roiling revolutionary era * Bookseller * Brilliant... Reiss directs a full scale production that jangles with drawn sabres, trembles with dashing deeds and resonates with the love of a son for a remarkable father -- Hugh MacDonald * Glasgow Herald * Fascinating * Robin's Reviews * Enthralling...a swashbuckling tale -- Nigel Jones * Guardian *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 199 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
402 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-09-957513-9 (9780099575139)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2012
1st Edition
Vintage Digital
€10.99
Available for download
Person
Born in 1964, Tom Reiss is an American author and journalist who lives in New York. He is the author of The Orientalist, an acclaimed biography of Lev Nussimbaum (aka Kurban Said) which was shortlisted for the 2006 Samuel Johnson Prize. The Black Count is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography 2013.