Pere

The slightly out of focus fellow above is one Alexander Dumas (pere, or the father), born this day 1802, in Aisne, France. His father died when he was only four years old, and his mother was not able to provide much of an education for him, but he was an avid reader. He would read anything you put in front of him, and I suspect that some high adventure stories were placed in front of him as a child, for he grew up to write some ripping yarns. He moved to Paris at the age of twenty, found some low-level job for the government, and began to write (ah, if only). His first two plays were wildly successful, and by 1830 he was financially secure enough to write full time (bye, bye grunt work government job).

He then turned he talents to the novel, and hit upon the idea that was going to make him the big money (he needed big money because he liked to live "large'). His money making idea was to serialize his novel in the newspaper, and it was a smashing idea, that led him to basically found a novel "production company." He would have several writers, and or assistants that would help him with details of the novel, all subject to his final input and approval of course, the most famous was a gent by the name of Auguste Maquet. It was M. Maquet that outlined the plot of what is, in my opinion, Dumas' best novel, "The Count of Monte Cristo." The ultimate revenge novel, it is the major reason that Dumas is on our hero podium today. Read it once because everyone should, then read it again just for the pure delight of the revenge the Count extracts on those who have "wronged" him. It is for that and his "The Three Musketeers" that Alexandre Dumas, pere (July 24th, 1802-December 5th, 1870, at the age of 68), you are my (335th) hero of the day.