Buried in the place where he had been born, Alexandre Dumas remained in the cemetery at Villers-Cotterêts until November 30, 2002. Under orders of the French President, Jacques Chirac, his body was exhumed and in a televised ceremony, his new coffin, draped in a blue-velvet cloth and flanked by four Republican Guards costumed as the Musketeers – Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D’Artagnan – was transported in a solemn procession to the Panthéon of Paris, the great mausoleum where French luminaries are interred.
In his speech, President Chirac said: “With you, we were D’Artagnan, Monte Cristo or Balsamo, riding along the roads of France, touring battlefields, visiting palaces and castles—with you, we dream.” In an interview following the ceremony, President Chirac acknowledged the racism that had existed, saying that a wrong had now been righted with Alexandre Dumas enshrined alongside fellow authors Victor Hugo and Voltaire.
The honor recognized that although France has produced many great writers, none have been as widely read as Alexandre Dumas. His stories have been translated into almost a hundred languages, and have inspired more than 200 motion pictures.
Alexandre Dumas’ home outside of Paris, the Château Monte Cristo, has been restored and is open to the public.
via Wikipedia
PS: Daca ar putea sa imi spuna cineva mai multe despre Chateau Monte Cristo i-as ramane recunoscator.
PS2: Update cu povestea completa din care a fost inspirat “Contele de Monte Cristo” la http://andreirosca.bookblog.ro/2006/06/16/contele-de-monte-cristo/
