Alexandre Dumas and his reply to a street ruffian who taunted him over his ancestry

Even after he had written The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas was still reproached with his origins. The son of a general who had single-handedly faced down whole regiments was nonetheless the great-grandson of slaves. Once a street ruffian tried to humiliate Dumas, blurting out: "Monsieur Dumas, among your ancestors, do you count monkeys as well?" To which Dumas replied: "My family begins where yours ends."

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

In the finale of the Strugatskys' Roadside Picnic, the Golden Ball is told: "Happiness for everybody, free, and let nobody go away unsatisfied!" I do not promise to offend nobody, but the digest really does come free of charge. So, here is the main business of the

Frederic Leighton

Frederic Leighton. “Daedalus and Icarus”, 1869 Daedalus warns his son not to climb too high: the heat of the sun may melt the wax, but Icarus is already gazing into the distance, and the lamentations of a foolish old man interest him not in the least

Alexandre Dumas and his reply to a street ruffian who taunted him over his ancestry

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

Frederic Leighton

Attempts to resolve the problems of many years of uncontrolled mass migration

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