HAPPY 200th BIRTHDAY, Alexandre Dumas fils!!!
July 27, 2024 commemoration/celebration ideas!!!
Today, July 27, is the day!!! HAPPY 200th BIRTHDAY to Alexandre Dumas's son - ALSO named Alexander Dumas, born on July 27, 1824!!! How can we tell the two apart?! One wrote The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo - that’s Alexandre Dumas père - the other The Lady of the Camellias (La Dame aux Camélias) - that’s Alexandre Dumas fils (1824-1895)!!! The 1848 novel was inspired by Alexandre Dumas fils’ affair with a famous Parisian courtesan Marie Duplessis (1824-1847) who died of tuberculosis at the age of 23. Her heartbroken lover, also 23, poured his grief into a novel that became immensely popular - was turned by the author into a play - was seen on the Parisian stage by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) - who turned the play into his 1853 opera La traviata!!! So many connections!!!
I propose celebrating the bicentennial of Alexandre Dumas fils by reading The Lady of the Camellias, listening to the opera, or watching a film adaptation today - or over the course of the weekend!!!
The novel, often published under the title Camille in English, is available online:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1608/1608-h/1608-h.htm
Several Audible recordings are available as well - the novel is quite short - 6-7 hours depending on the recording!!!
My favorite staging of the opera was directed by the legendary Franco Zeffirelli (1923-2019) - please consider watching the entire film version of the opera!!!
Greta Garbo stared in this 1936 film adaptation:
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0028683/
So many ways the celebrate!!! On July 27 (Saturday) and July 28 (Sunday) we take a break from The Three Musketeers and celebrate with Papa Dumas the birth of his famous baby!!! Help spread the word!!! Let’s make this impromptu literary party FUN!!! Please post you celebration notes in the comment section!!! The more comments you post - the more potential readers see this announcement!!!
Alexandre Dumas fils (1824-1895), author of The Lady of the Camellias. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Marie Duplessis (1824-1847), the courtesan who inspired The Lady of the Camellias.
Alfons Mucha’s (1860-1939) poster for The Lady of the Camellias staring Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923). Readers from Eastern Iowa - FABULOUS retrospective of Alfons Mucha at the Cedar Rapids National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library through September 1 - with a section dedicated to his long and brilliant collaboration with Sarah Bernhardt!!!
Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), who turned The Lady of the Camellias into his immortal La Traviata!!!
