Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) was a French writer best known for his historical adventure novels, including The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. He was born in Villers-Cotterêts, France, to a French nobleman and a Haitian Creole woman. Dumas wrote over 100 plays and novels, and his works have been translated into nearly 100 languages. He was a master of the swashbuckling adventure genre, and his stories are still widely read today. Dumas was also a political activist, and his works often contained themes of social justice and equality. He was a major influence on the Romantic movement in literature, and his works remain popular and influential to this day.