Alexandre Dumas

Dumas's grandmother was an enslaved Haitian woman; his father, born of that union, rose to become one of Napoleon's most celebrated generals before dying in poverty and disgrace. Alexandre started as a clerk for the Duke of Orléans, wrote for the stage first, then turned to serialized fiction with a factory of collaborators, most notably Auguste Maquet, feeding newspapers doorstop installments week after week.

The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo both appeared in 1844, both devoured by an enormous public. Dumas made and spent fortunes on a scale to match his novels, building an absurdly lavish estate he called the Château de Monte-Cristo and losing it within years to creditors.

He died in 1870, largely broke, cared for at the end by his son, the playwright Alexandre Dumas fils.