Put aside the capes and swords. My Memoirs, Vol. III drops us into the messy, exciting life of a 24-year-old Alexandre Dumas, years before he became famous. He's just arrived in Paris, full of big ideas and empty pockets.

The Story

This volume covers his early hustle. We follow him as he lands a low-level clerk job to pay the rent, while his real energy goes into the theater. He’s writing his first plays, dealing with critics, and navigating the tricky politics of the stage. All this happens against the backdrop of a France still shaky after its latest revolution. Dumas parties with artists and plotters, falls in and out of love, and constantly worries about money. It’s the origin story of a literary legend, told with all the doubt and hope he felt in the moment.

Why You Should Read It

This is where you see the man, not the monument. Dumas doesn’t hide his failures or his ego. His voice is incredibly alive—charming, boastful, and honestly frustrated. You get the sense of a city buzzing with possibility, where a young writer from the provinces could actually change his fate. It makes his later success feel earned, not destined.

Final Verdict

Perfect for Dumas superfans who want the real backstory, and for anyone who enjoys a great ‘making it’ tale. It’s for readers who like their history personal, not just a list of dates. You don’t need to have read the first two volumes to jump in here. This is a portrait of the artist as a young man, and it’s every bit as entertaining as his fiction.