Born on 24 July 1802, Alexandre Dumas, p?re, was the son of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Davy, a mixed-race free soldier who became the first person of colour to be promoted to general in the French army. As a young man, Dumas began his career as a lawyer, working for the Duke of Orl?ans, Louis- Philippe. Alongside, he started writing for magazines and, eventually wrote several popular plays. Dumas was then interested in exploring storytelling with excitement and adventure, and went on to achieve much fame with his historical novels. While Dumas earned well, he was also extravagant which led to financial difficulties. He turned to journalism and travel writing to pay off his debts, but with little success. He passed away on 5 December 1870 of natural causes. Dumas was one of the most well-known French authors of the nineteenth century. Translated into several languages, his best-known works are Les Trois Mousquetaires (The Three Musketeers, 1844); Vingt ans apr?s (Twenty Years After, 1845); Le Comte de Monte Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo, 1844?45); and Dix ans plus tard ou le Vicomte de Bragelonne (Ten Years Later; or, The Vicomte de Bragelonne, 1848?50).