Alexandre Dumas

The Horoscope - a Romance of the Reign of Francois Ii. Alexandre Dumas

This early work by Alexandre Dumas was originally published in 1897 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. 'The Horoscope' is a romance novel set in France during the rise of protestantism in the 16th century. Alexandre Dumas was born in Villers-Cotterêts, France in 1802. His parents were poor, but their heritage and good reputation - Alexandre's father had been a general in Napoleon's army - provided Alexandre with opportunities for good employment. In 1822, Dumas moved to Paris to work for future king Louis Philippe I in the Palais Royal. It was here that he began to write for magazines and the theatre. Dumas made a lot of money from his writing, but he was almost constantly penniless as a result of his extravagant lifestyle and love of women. In 1851 he fled his creditors to Belgium, and then Russia, and then Italy, not returning to Paris until 1864. Dumas died in Puys, France, in 1870, at the age of 68.