Jacke takes a look at the astonishing story of Alexandre Dumas, author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, whose own father (who was born into slavery before becoming a four-star general in Napoleon's army) led a life as adventurous as any fictional character.
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Yesterday
827 American Literature's War on Crime (with Theodore Martin) | W.E.B. DuBois Sits with Shakespeare
The second half of the twentieth century was marked by an extreme increase in America's prison population, from roughly 250,000 inmates in 1940 to well over two million by 2008. At the same time, American readers were devouring mysteries, thrillers, detective novels, police proce ... Show More
1h 23m
Aug 27
826 The Essayist's Essayist - Phillip Lopate on the Pleasures of Reading Washington Irving and Other "Minor Writers" | Notes from the History of Literature Podcast Tour!
At the time of Washington Irving's death, he was the most famous and widely praised American writer of his or any other era. But his reputation soon dwindled, and today he's known primarily as the author of just two stories ("The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle"), wh ... Show More
1h 19m
Aug 24
825 Henry James's Ghosts (with Morgan Lloyd Malcolm) | My Last Book with David Womersley
In 1895, Henry James suffered through a terrible failure, as his play Guy Domville was greeted by hoots, jeers, and tomatoes being thrown at the play's author. James responded by starting work on his masterpiece The Turn of the Screw, which tells the story of a governess and the ... Show More
1h 8m
Feb 2022
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
<p>Tonight's bedtime story is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Serialised from 1844-1846, this story is one of Dumas' most popular works. It is the story of Edmond Dantes who is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes and, exacts revenge on his enemies. In this episode, Edmon ... Show More
37m 16s
Oct 2022
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
<p>Feeling stressed? Relax tonight with The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. Published in 1844, this swashbuckling adventure novel has been adapted on TV, film, and games numerous times. In this episode, D'Artagnan receives three gifts from his father and then causes a stir i ... Show More
39m 16s
Jan 2023
The Count of Monte Cristo: The Catalans by Alexandre Dumas
<p>Tonight's bedtime story is the continuation of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Serialised from 1844-1846, this story is one of Dumas' most popular works. It is the story of Edmond Dantes who is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes and, exacts revenge on his enemies. In ... Show More
41m 34s
May 2024
153. The Founding Fathers: Alexander Hamilton (Ep 3)
How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean by providence impoverished in squalor, grow up to be a hero and a scholar? Listen and find out.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
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23m 8s
Mar 2021
Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Greg Jenner is joined by historian Prof Olivette Otele and comedian Sophie Duker in 18th century France to meet the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Born the son of a slave and a white plantation owner, he lived a remarkable life in France, becoming a master fencer, violin virtuoso, c ... Show More
51m 36s