Winner of the Pulitzer Prize 2013. Reiss, like the novelist Dumas before him, triumphantly resurrects a lost hero - General Alexandre Dumas, the real count of Monte Cristo.
By walking the same ground as Dumas - from Haiti tothe Pyramids, Paris to the prison cell at Taranto – Reiss, like the novelistbefore him, triumphantly resurrects this forgotten hero.‘Entrances from first to last.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize 2013. Reiss, like the novelist Dumas before him, triumphantly resurrects a lost hero - General Alexandre Dumas, the real count of Monte Cristo.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 courseare fiction. But here a prize-winning author shows us that the inspiration forthe swashbuckling stories was, in fact, Dumas's own father, Alex - the sonof a marquis and a black slave... He achieved a giddy ascent from privatein the Dragoons to the rank of general; an outsider who had grown upamong slaves, he was all for Liberty and Equality. Alex Dumas was thestuff of legend'Daily MailSo how did such this extraordinary man get erased by history? Why arethere no statues of 'Monsieur Humanity' as his troops called him? TheBlack Count uncovers what happened and the role Napoleon played inDumas's downfall. By walking the same ground as Dumas - from Haiti tothe Pyramids, Paris to the prison cell at Taranto - Reiss, like the novelistbefore him, triumphantly resurrects this forgotten hero.'Entrances from first to last. Dumas the novelist would be proud'Independent'Brilliant' Glasgow Herald
Winner of Pulitzer Prize for General Non-fiction 2013 (United States) Short-listed for National Book Critics Circle Biography Award 2013 (United States)
“Fascinating”
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
Robin’s Reviews
Enthralling…a swashbuckling tale -- Nigel Jones Guardian
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.
This item is eligible for simple returns within 30 days of delivery. Return shipping is the responsibility of the customer. See our returns policy for further details.
