The Black Tulip
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Black Tulip is an historical fiction novel written by Alexandre Dumas, père.
The story begins with an actual historical tragedy - the 1672 lynching of the Dutch Grand Pensionary (roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister) Johan de Witt and his brother Cornelis, by a wild mob of their own countrypeople - one of the most painful episodes in Dutch history, described by Dumas with a dramatic intensity.
The main plot line, involving fictional characters, takes place some years later; only gradually does the reader understand its connection with the foregoing killing of the de Witt brothers.
The city of Haarlem in The Netherlands has set a prize of 100,000 florins to the person who can grow a black tulip.
This begins a competition between the country's best gardeners to win the money, the honour and fame.
The young and bourgeois Cornelius van Baerle has almost succeeded, when he suddenly is thrown into prison. There he meets the prison guard's beautiful daughter Rosa, who shall be his comfort and help, and at last his rescuer.
The Black Tulip is not just an exciting novel from a dramatic period, but also a love story with a happy ending.
It was originally published in three volumes in 1850 as La Tulipe noire by Baudry (Paris).
[edit] Other media
- In 1963, a French movie starring Alain Delon, La Tulipe noire, was based on the novel.
[edit] External links
- The Black Tulip, available at Project Gutenberg.
- eLook Literature: The Black Tulip - HTML version broken down chapter by chapter.
