Dumas fils, Alexandre

(1824-1895)

   novelist, playwright

   Born in Paris, the natural son of Alexandre dumas, Alexandre Dumas fils, as a child, was often taunted about his illegitimacy. His first literary work was a volume of poetry, Péchés de jeunesse (Sins of Youth; 1847). This was followed by his first novel, Camille (1848), and his subsequent dramatization of that work (La Dame aux camélias) in 1852, establishing his name as a playwright. The story, which has served as a vehicle for many actors on stage and in film, was immortalized by Giuseppe Verdi in his opera La Traviata and by Greta Garbo in the film Camille (1936). Although Dumas continued to write novels, he was much more successful as a dramatist. His plays include Le Demi-Monde (1855), La Question d'argent (1857), Le Fils naturel (1858), Monsieur Alphonse (1874), Denise (1885), and Francillon (1887). He was elected to the Académie Française in 1874.