All for one!

Two authors convinced me that reading can be a thrill: J.R.R. Tolkien and Alexandre Dumas.
I shall devote this page to the latter as Tolkien is quite omnipresent these days.

Dumas however, is quite underestimated. I believe it has something to do with the boyish sharm of his work and his prolific writing.

No one writes adventures like Dumas does: his works are epic, charming, funny and full of life.
His stories take you to the most fascinating periods in French and European history. He wrote of Richelieu, Louis XIII & XIV, Charles I & II of England and gave us the three musketeers!

Personally, my favourite work of his is The Count of Monte Cristo. It's undeniably darker than the three musketeers, as it focusses on themes as hope, justice, vengeance, mercy and forgiveness.

The author himself was of mixed race ancestry. Scorn and discrimination were his part.
However, one of his responses to an insult against his African ancestry became famous:

"My father was a mulatto, my grandfather was a Negro, and my great-grandfather a monkey. You see, Sir, my family starts where yours ends."

How can one not love this chubby fellow?