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WHAT IF THE FRENCH WRITER WAS ACTUALLY A RUSSIAN POET ?
What if the Russian poet , Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin , killed in a duel in 1837 , and the French writer , Alexandre Dumas , were one and the same person ?
Supporters of this theory actually have quite a few points in its favour . First of all , the first novel by Alexander Dumas was published precisely in 1837 , the year when the poet Alexander Pushkin was allegedly killed in an ill-fated duel in St . Petersburg . This novel brought the French writer great popularity , making him the new torchbearer of the literary world .
Another sound argument is the similarity between the two writers . Bearers of African origins , they both had dark curly hair , dark complexion and blue eyes . Dumas ’ African grandmother is known to have been a slave of the French plantation owner , Marquis Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie . The first language Alexander Pushkin spoke was French . And quite importantly , the two men were also of the same age : Pushkin was born in 1799 and Dumas in 1802 .
The secrecy around Pushkin ’ s very funeral in 1837 is also puzzling to researchers . The people were first invited to say goodbye to the famous writer in St . Isaac ’ s Cathedral in St . Petersburg . That ’ s where Pushkin ’ s funeral service was to take place . At night , however , under cover of darkness , the writer ’ s body was escorted to the Konushennaya Church . That day students were strictly forbidden from skipping school to come to the poet ’ s funeral . None of his close relatives attended the burial either : on the night of February 3 , Pushkin ’ s body was taken to the family estate Mikhailovskoye , in Pskov region . His widow came to visit the grave only two years later , in 1839 .
BOOKS WRITTEN BY THE TWO GENIUSES
The supporters of this theory also quote the works of the famous writers . Dumas ’ novels , particularly fruitful in the 1830s , have a lot of ‘ Pushkin ’ s ’ influence . D ’ Artagnan from ‘ The Three Musketeers ’ is very reminiscent of Pushkin himself . The Gascon also comes from a poor noble family . Hot-tempered and ardent , he was prompt to duel anyone who allegedly insulted his honour . The Russian poet behaved very much in the same way .
As to the novel ‘ The Fencing Teacher ’, how could Alexander Dumas who had never visited Russia be so detailed about the Decembrist uprising of 1825 ?
Dumas ’ ‘ The Count of Monte Cristo ’ also evokes quite a number of questions . Its main character Edmond Dantes bears the same name as Pushkin ’ s duelist , Georges Dantes , whose bullet was allegedly fatal for the Russian poet . According to the plot , Edmond Dantes fakes his own death and returns under a different name to take revenge . The author seems to be making an allusion to his own life story . Researchers thus believe Pushkin and Dantes were one and the same person .
And last but not least , it was Alexander Dumas who translated into French many works by Pushkin and other Russian authors . Officially , he first visited Russia only in 1858 , during the reign of Alexander II . This Russian tsar succeeded Nicholas I who forbade the publication of both Pushkin ’ s and Dumas ’ books .
According to researcher Nina Milova who initiated this theory , an ending was found to the ‘ Dubrovsky ’ novel after Pushkin ’ s death . Its main character was allegedly hiding abroad and later came to Russia under the guise of an Englishman . Quite evocative indeed .
Could the two pillars of the literary world really be one and the same person ? Researchers are ardently debating this theory to this day . Do you think this kind of thing could have happened in real life or is it more reminiscent of Pushkin and Dumas ’ novels ?
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