A deceptively simple story and the shortest of Dumas's most famous novels, The Black Tulip (1850) weaves historical events surrounding a brutal murder into a tale of romantic love. Set in Holland in 1672, this timeless political allegory draws on the violence and crimes of history, making a case against tyranny and creating a symbol of justice and tolerance: the fateful tulipa negra.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) was one of the literary lights of France during the Romantic Revolution, his complete works eventually filling over three hundred volumes. George Bernard Shaw described him as "one of the best storytellersa ]that ever lived." The Man in the Iron Mask and The Three Musketeers are available from Brilliance Audio.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Song of the Flowers,
By
This review is from: The Black Tulip (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)
While The Black Tulip lacks the swashbuckling, derring-do adventures of the other Dumas novels I have read, it is every bit as enjoyable to read.Beginning with the arrest of two brothers, deemed traitors to the throne, Dumas Holland-based story at least begins with as strong a conflict as his other more action-laced novels. But the story, while shifting focus to the Godson of one of the men arrested, concerns his passion and pursuit of the highly coveted black tulip, a strain of Holland's most popular horticultural export. Cornelius van Baerle, a man of comfortable means, is little concerned with his wealth, or with position; or at all suspicious of the papers left in his care by his Godfather prior to his arrest. M. van Baerle has but one pursuit, one goal, and one dream...to produce a flawless, rare black tulip. Thus his downfall, as an avaricious neighbor,Isaac Boxtel, shares this dream, but for entirely different reasons. While Cornelius van Baerle cares not for the riches and fame associated with growing such a flower, Boxtel covets both and plots to eliminate his competition and abscond with the delicate blossom which will net him one hundred thousand florins, more than enough to live like the King himself. M. van Baerle is, therefore, convicted of treason when Boxtel reveals the existence of the papers of va Baerle's godfather to the authorities, and M. van Baerle finds himself on the wrong side of prison bars. However, the appearance of an unexpected love awakens passions in Cornelius to rival those he feels for the black tulip, and ignites a desire in him to share the possible wealth associated with the flower, simply to assure it's development and care. Thus, the race is on to plant, grow, and deliver the black tulip to the Horticultural Society. Dumas' writing skills are in fine form with this shorter novel, sparing none of the humor, grace, and elegance of other works of his I have indulged in. And while foils are left in scabbards, no plots to overthrow a corrupt Cardinal materialize, and revenge is not sought against the bad-guys...this novel is every bit as exciting. A fine way to experience one of France's most prolific historical authors for the first time, or to further explore his catalogue of works.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Flower power,
By Harry Hughes (Aberystwyth, Wales) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Black Tulip (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
This book is not to be recomended by those who want an exciting swashbuckling tale on a par with Dumas' incomparable musketeer stories. It is to this end that many reviewers and readers of this book leave with an unfriendly opinion of this book. Although it is Dumas' last book, it is in my opinion one of his best. It tells the heartwarming tale of Cornelius van Baerle who lives purely to try and cultivate the rare and wonderous black tulip. However when Cornelius' godfather is asassinated he, without knowing it, enters a dangerous game of cat and mouse with his jealous neighbour (and tulip fancier) Issac Boxtel who has seen Cornelius being given a letter by his godfather. To this end Cornelius is jailed whereupon he falls in love with Rosa, the beautiful daughter of his jailer. Rosa aids Cornelius to cultivate his tulip inside the jail and they eventually succeed only to have it cruely stolen by Boxtel. I wont ruin the ending by telling you what happens, suffice to say I feel that for the first time in his writing career Dumas wrote a "Happy ever after" ending which irritated me to some extent. I do love this book and it earns its place alongside Dumas' great novels, my main reason for loving it so much is its final lines, it is one of the greatest pieces of philosophy I have ever heard, but it is important to read the book to fully understand its meaning, I know it so well that I can reel it off the top of my head thus, " ... he wrote above his door these lines that Grotius had carved on the wall of his prison on the day of his escape: "Sometimes one has suffered enough to have the right never to say: I am too happy"To me these words have a beautiful resonance that is not only lovely to think of but accurate as well, I feel that anyone who reads this book and fails to be moved, if by nothing else by the bathos of the denoument, then they have ultimately failed to appreciate the true beauty and skill of one of the finest novelists to ever pick up a writing implement. This book is a thing of beauty, perhaps the tulip itself is a simple microcosm of the book, to start off it appears to be nothing special, but in the hands of someone who is aware of its true worth it is as priceless as the world itself.
29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Exciting and Romantic Tale,
This review is from: The Black Tulip (World's Classics) (Paperback)
In "The Black Tulip", Alexandre Dumas proves again his ability to mix adventure and romance to create an exciting and romantic tale. Although Dumas may have distorted history significantly in this story, the image of late 17th century Holland which he presents is accurate and vivid enough to give the reader a lasting impression of society and culture in this period.The execution of Jann and Cornelius De Witte and the romance between Van Baerle and Rosa are portrayed with such detail that readers are not likely to forget this book. I strongly recommend this tale to any who love adventure, history and romance.
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First Sentence:
On the 20th of August, 1672, the city of the Hague, always so lively, so neat, and so trim that one might believe every day to be Sunday, with its shady park, with its tall trees, spreading over its Gothic houses, with its canals like large mirrors, in which its steeples and its almost Eastern cupolas are reflected, - the city of the Hague, the capital of the Seven United Provinces, was swelling in all its arteries with a black and red stream of hurried, panting, and restless citizens, who, with their knives in their girdles, muskets on their shoulders, or sticks in their hands, were pushing on to the Buytenhof, a terrible prison, the grated windows of which are still shown, where, on the charge of attempted murder preferred against him by the surgeon Tyckelaer, Cornelius de Witt, the brother of the Grand Pensionary of Holland was confined. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
great black tulip, third sucker, burgher guard, thousand guilders, third bulb, second bulb, hundred guilders, grated window Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Cornelius de Witt, John de Witt, Grand Pensionary, Mynheer Cornelius, Isaac Boxtel, Master Gryphus, William of Orange, Master Jacob, Master Boxtel, Mynheer Boxtel, President of the Horticultural Society, Mynheer John, Horticultural Society of Haarlem, Prince of Orange, Marquis de Louvois, Seven Provinces, Captain Van Deken, Highness the Stadtholder, Master van Spennen, Mynheer Bowelt, Count Tilly, Haarlem Society, Mynheer Grotius, Perpetual Edict, Rosa Barlaensis New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Surprise Me!
On the 20th of August, 1672, the city of the Hague, always so lively, so neat, and so trim that one might believe every day to be Sunday, with its shady park, with its tall trees, spreading over its Gothic houses, with its canals like large mirrors, in which its steeples and its almost Eastern cupolas are reflected, - the city of the Hague, the capital of the Seven United Provinces, was swelling in all its arteries with a black and red stream of hurried, panting, and restless citizens, who, with their knives in their girdles, muskets on their shoulders, or sticks in their hands, were pushing on to the Buytenhof, a terrible prison, the grated windows of which are still shown, where, on the charge of attempted murder preferred against him by the surgeon Tyckelaer, Cornelius de Witt, the brother of the Grand Pensionary of Holland was confined. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
great black tulip, third sucker, burgher guard, thousand guilders, third bulb, second bulb, hundred guilders, grated window Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Cornelius de Witt, John de Witt, Grand Pensionary, Mynheer Cornelius, Isaac Boxtel, Master Gryphus, William of Orange, Master Jacob, Master Boxtel, Mynheer Boxtel, President of the Horticultural Society, Mynheer John, Horticultural Society of Haarlem, Prince of Orange, Marquis de Louvois, Seven Provinces, Captain Van Deken, Highness the Stadtholder, Master van Spennen, Mynheer Bowelt, Count Tilly, Haarlem Society, Mynheer Grotius, Perpetual Edict, Rosa Barlaensis New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
100
books
cite this book:
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- SQL Clearly Explained, Second Edition (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems) by Jan L. Harrington on 5 pages
- Tulipomania : The Story of the World's Most Coveted Flower & the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused by Mike Dash on page 160, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The World's Greatest Books, Vol. 3 by J. A. Arthur Mee in Front Matter, and page 255
- Danton's Death, Leonce and Lena, Woyzeck (Oxford World's Classics) by Georg Buchner in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- A Guide To The Best Historical Novels And Tales by Jonathan Nield on page 30, and Back Matter
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