Guangming Daily correspondent in Paris He Nong
What writer in the world has the privilege of building and living in a castle he painted? What writer, because of his extravagant waste and oblivious life, ended up going bankrupt and had to sell the mansion he had built? Both of these French 19th-century writers, Alexandre Dumas, did it. July 24 marks the 220th anniversary of Dumas' birth. This French literary hero has been brilliant, sloppy, loved, and questioned. But he never left the memory.
Dumas profile picture
I. Make imagination a reality
1844 was the peak of Dumas's creative career, and his two most famous works, "The Three Musketeers" and "The Count of Monte Cristo", were serialized and published successively, and for a time Luoyang paper was expensive, which made him a great success in literature and commerce. Dumas, who was fully packed, was determined to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, to find a place that could not only inspire his own creative inspiration as much as possible, prolong his creative life as long as possible, but also fully reflect his glory and wealth, and live up to the name of "successful writer", and build an unparalleled building that allowed publishers to continue to pay for themselves, and let fellow writers envy themselves again.
He eventually spotted a small hill in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, about 20 kilometers southeast of Paris. Down the hill, the Seine Flows Slowly in the distance; On the mountain, the grass is lush and the mountain road is winding. The castle in his heart is Renaissance, and at the same time there must be a small neo-Gothic castle surrounded by water - the big castle is a glorious façade, for others to see, is a face; The small castle is the place where you want to write, and to meet your own creative needs, it is Rizi. He also wanted an English-style garden, plus caves, rocks and waterfalls. He brought in the famous architect of the time, Hebrette Douang. Duan listened to his idea and said meaningfully, "It will cost you a lot of money to realize your dream!" Unexpectedly, Dumas quickly replied, "I know this!" ”
Monte Cristo information picture
II. Dream-making success
On July 25, 1847, Dumas's dream was created. The castle of Monte Cristo was inaugurated, and it was not uncommon for a while. The exterior of the castle is full of sculptures and decorations, historical stories, natural scenery, and great luxury. Above each window on the first floor, Dumas selected the most representative writers of each era and carved their portraits on them. Above the entrance to the main entrance, there is a portrait of Dumas, who appears to be greeting guests from all directions.
Dumas is generally considered the most widely circulated writer in French. He was a genius at writing and extremely imaginative. He was also a prolific writer, writing 80 novels during his lifetime, the most popular of which were The Three Musketeers and the Count of Monte Cristo. His works are plot-twisting and engaging, and the writing is relaxed and fluent, easy to read and understand.
As a popular legendary novelist, Dumas was already famous during his lifetime. The qualities of his protagonist's chivalry, gratitude, revenge, killing the rich and helping the poor, etc., are very close to the martial arts in traditional Chinese novels, and his works are very popular in the folk.
But it is precisely because of the popular and legendary nature of his works that the discerning Parisian literary critics consider him vulgar, tasteless and even low-end. During his lifetime, he did not receive the respect he deserved in the French literary scene. Hugo, who was born in the same year as him, has a completely different status: a member of Parliament and a literary titan, and directly entered the Pantheon after his death. Dumas's work gradually spread throughout the world over time after his death and brought great fame to French literature. His work is rich and colorful, and his life is as tortuous as his novel, full of legends: wealth is lost, revenge, polyamorous love, several illegitimate children, and debt.
When Dumas was alive, he was questioned for suspected gunmen writing for him, and it is estimated that his contemporaries were full of contempt for him. Years after his death, the accusations continue unabated. According to a journalist who is an expert friend who studies French literature, some of these writers have stood up and claimed to be Dumas's gunmen, and some have been called "the most conscientious of Dumas's writers" by his son Dumas, and even Dumas himself has admitted that there are others to do the work, and some writers have publicly written a certain work "co-authored with Dumas" on their tombstones after death. It is said that his gunmen totaled dozens of people. Literary and artistic works dedicated to exploring, studying, and mocking the dumas side are also emerging.
Illustration of The Three Musketeers
III. Feast in the castle
The small neo-Gothic castle surrounded by streams is known as the Castle of Yves by Dumas. This was his study, and he often kept himself in it for hours. He used his genius in the castle to create literature. The outside of this castle is also carved with a variety of people, most of whom are vivid characters in his pen, such as the protagonist of "The Count of Monte Cristo", Edmond Dantés. The English gardens that surround the castle are lined with trees and babbling springs. All this is entirely from Dumas's own imagination and design.
The doors of the castle are always open to the guests, who are treated with great hospitality and thoughtfulness. Dumas regularly hosts feasts here for friends as well as friends of friends, especially women. The menu is usually designed by himself, and sometimes he even cooks it himself, and the wine list is of course reviewed by him. Dumas was a glutton, and the contemporary writer Balzac was very similar to him, able to eat and drink, and often overeating. Balzac is said to have been less financially successful than Dumas, so he was often able to feast on a full meal only after receiving the fee. At this time, Dumas was no longer the day of eating the last meal and waiting for the rice to be cooked. In his famous castle, all day long neon feathers, feasts, fine wine and delicacies, high friends full of seats, really can be described as talking and laughing, there is no white Ding.
Now standing at the table of the castle restaurant, people can see that the dishes and cups have not been completely removed, the napkins are scattered on the back of the chair, there are still unfinished wines in the bottle, there seems to be the aroma of wine and vegetables in the air, the cups are changed, and the scene of staggering seems to be in front of you, as if the host and guest have just left the table because of something, and they will return soon. I believe that every guest at that time was overwhelmed by the host's pomp, generosity and talent. Even if we are in the middle of the castle or strolling in the garden today, we can feel the joy, envy and excitement of Dumas's guests.
Profile picture of the film The Count of Monte Cristo (1929).
IV. Late Honor
More than 300 years ago, in the French colony of Haiti in Central and South America, there was a slave whose French master had to sell her as furniture to another French officer because he could not afford a ticket back to France. She was Dumas's grandmother. Dumas came to Paris at the age of 20 and began his literary career. The name Dumas is actually a common name coined by later generations to distinguish his son, the author of la Traviata , Dumas (1824-1895).
On November 30, 2002, the remains of Alexandre Dumas were moved to the Pantheon from the burial place of his hometown. On 29 November, the day before the funeral, the coffin of Dumas's remains arrived at the Castle of Monte Cristo, built by the writers themselves, for public recourse.
200 years after his birth and 132 years after his death, Dumas finally enjoyed the same treatment as his great contemporary, Victor Hugo. "The motherland thanks the great man", this is the famous phrase engraved on the top porch of the pantheon gate in Paris, France. If the French can be buried here after death, they will become great people who are admired by all people and thanked by the country.
V. The castle is protected
According to records, in the château of Monte Cristo, animals also had their own place, dogs, cats, parrots, monkeys, vultures, all part of Dumas's dream. Unfortunately, this dream lasted only a short time, and from 1848 onwards, Dumas had to bear more and more heavy debts for his luxurious life and excessive expenses. On 22 March 1849, Dumas transferred this dreamland, which cost him hundreds of thousands of francs, for a low price of 31,000 francs. For the next two or three years, he still had the right to live in the castle. In 1851, he was forced to give up the gardens, castles and collections and decorations in them, and he moved to Belgium.
After that, the castle and gardens were ill-fated, and they were sold and sold several times, and because of their disrepair, they were devastated and unrecognizable, completely deprived of the mission and glory that their original owners had given them. In 1969, at a critical moment when it was being demolished by a real estate project, the three related municipalities surrounding the castle's location and a large number of lovers of Dumas's works, through the establishment of corresponding institutions, argued and cleverly leveraged the voice of the public, and finally forced the authorities to abandon the real estate project to build 400 houses, preserving the castle and escaping the demolition. Since then, people have continued to invest in the comprehensive restoration of the castle and gardens, and finally little by little it has restored its former glory. The façade, roof, staircase, and interior decoration of the castle have been restored to their original state to the greatest extent possible, and a library has been established for the collection of works from Dumas in different languages. The Moorish living room in the castle has also been completely restored, thanks to a personal donation from King Hassan II of Morocco.
This castle and garden carry the love-hate and creative career of a famous writer, and even the castle and garden itself are strange in the history of world architecture. After years of effort, in 1994 the Château de Cristo was recognized as a historic monument by the French government. In order to raise as much money as possible and keep the castle functioning properly, it should now be the only museum in All of France that is public but also charges a full ticket for journalists, and it is also a very rare museum with a higher ticket price on weekends than the usual ticket price.
Of course, from another point of view, 400 families did not get this well-located and quiet house, in exchange for a historical and cultural protection building and a museum that may not even make ends meet. Where exactly should the balance tilt? In culture-conscious France, this question may not be a problem at all.
Guangming Daily (2022-08-18 13th edition)
Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily