| Title | : | The Black Tulip |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0140448926 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780140448924 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 246 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1850 |
Cornelius von Baerle, a respectable tulip-grower, lives only to cultivate the elusive black tulip and win a magnificent prize for its creation. But after his powerful godfather is assassinated, the unwitting Cornelius becomes caught up in deadly political intrigue and is falsely accused of high treason by a bitter rival. Condemned to life imprisonment, his only comfort is Rosa, the jailer's beautiful daughter, and together they concoct a plan to grow the black tulip in secret. Dumas' last major historical novel is a tale of romantic love, jealousy and obsession, interweaving historical events surrounding the brutal murders of two Dutch statesman in 1672 with the phenomenon of tulipomania that gripped seventeenth-century Holland.
The Black Tulip Reviews
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The Black Tulip proffers the readers a magnanimous range of human emotions, ranging from hatred, greed, loyalty, jealousy, obsession, and above all the 3 most striking emotions of tolerance, love, and dedication!
The first-seven chapters with gruesome political-historical content and neighbor-hatred turned out to be tough and gritty for me (due to my oblivion towards the topic). The first few chapters put forward the cruel ghastly politics of the 17th-century Dutch where 2 dutchmen are butchered by the mob (in the course of the political state of affairs)!
Once I was past these tough chapters, the story gathered for me and I stayed riveted.
Without imperiling the readers' interest and not sharing any spoilers (Though I guess the blurb reveals a lot more 😊 )-
Two brothers are murdered by the mob in course of political events, and the main character of the story Cornelius (the godson of one of the brothers), fanatic about tulips, is wrongly incarcerated, due to the jealousy of his neighbor, Boxtel.
It is a story of his sheer nerve and courage to bring about his dream of growing black tulip to fruition.
On this quest, the jailer’s daughter, Rosa, who ultimately becomes the love of his life, aids him.
I know Cornelius has been propounded as the hero of the story by Dumas, but for me Rosa clearly stands out to be the one, showcasing the strongest form of love for Cornelius, helping him sail through all thick and thin.
She constantly finds herself having to compete with the tulip for his affection. One of her emotional remarks–
“I have made a grievous blunder; it may be I have ruined Cornelius, the tulip, and myself. I have given the alarm, and perhaps awakened suspicion. I am but a woman; these men may league themselves against me, and then I shall be lost. If I am lost that matters nothing,—but Cornelius and the tulip!”
She is otherwise a strong and agile character who does what is right, even if it means going against the wishes of Cornelius or her father.
The stellar characters of the story for me are two- Rosa and the elusive black tulip!
A quick walk-through of the character traits-
Gryphus, the jailer (father of Rosa) – Epitome of villainy
Boxtel, the neighbor – the epitome of jealousy and wickedness
Cornelius – the epitome of chutzpah and tolerance
Rosa- the epitome of love, dedication, and courage
The first few chapters are based on a topic of my least interest, but the rest of the novel centers on the ones that entice me, I shower a well-deserved 4-stars!
NB- The lovers of “The count of monte Cristo”, in all probability will favor the book.
I will remember this book for Rosa, owning a fascinating and gripping character persona! 😊 -
”Contempt for flowers is an offence against God. The lovelier the flower, the greater the offence in despising it. The tulip is the loveliest of all flowers. So whoever despised the tulip offends God immeasurably.”
In 1672 two brothers Cornelius and Johan de Witt (Grand Pensionary/prime minister of Holland) were charged with treason and sentenced to exile. Cornelis had been tortured with the hope that he would confess to plotting with the French king.
He did not.
He had corresponded with the French King, but those letters had been safely deposited with his godson Cornelius van Baerle. This evidence, if obtained, would have insured a frog march to the executioner and a swift separation of their heads from their bodies.
If only they had been so lucky.
The mob, you know those people that we buy our fruit, our clothes, our meat from, who build our cabinetry, customize our clogs, and bake our bread, were unhappy with the verdict of exile. They wanted...blood. With a bit of sinister machination by a rather villainous depiction of William of Orange the mob gets their chance at the very moment the brothers are attempting to comply with their sentencing.
The Mob. Image from the Folio Society edition.
”And everyone wanted to strike a blow with a hammer, a sword or a knife, everyone wanted to have his drop of blood and tear off his scrap of clothing.
When the two bodies were thoroughly beaten, thoroughly dismembered, and thoroughly stripped, the mob dragged them naked and bleeding, to an improvised gibbet, where amateur executioners hung them up by the feet.”
Meanwhile our hero, Cornelius van Baerle, continues to pursue what he loves best, growing tulips. He has a genius for it. He grafts, mulches, and cultivates his bulbs with the same precision as a master violinist moves his bow across the strings. The science of tulips is his to command. When the tulip society offers a 100,000 guilder reward for the first gardener to create an unblemished black tulip Cornelius is elated not for a chance to win the money, but for the challenge of creating the perfect black tulip.
Little does Cornelius know, but he has a nemesis, one too close for comfort. In fact Mynheer Isaac Boxtel lives right next door. He was once a well respected gardener, but since his rich neighbor van Baerle decided to take up the challenge of raising tulips his own gardens have been neglected. He has no time to garden for all of his spare moments are spent with a telescope to his eye watching every movement of his illustrious neighbor. He gnashes his teeth and pulls his hair with every breakthrough that Cornelius achieves with each new specimen of tulip excellence.
Boxtel enraged. Image from the Folio Society edition
”How many times, in the midst of these torments--which no words can convey--had Boxtel not been tempted to leap into the garden by night and ravage the plants, devouring the bulbs with his teeth and even sacrificing the owner himself to his fury if the man should dare to defend his tulips!
But to kill a tulip, in the eyes of a true gardener, is such a ghastly crime (while to kill a man--well, perhaps…)Yet thanks to the progress that van Baerle was making daily in an art that he seemed to be acquiring by instinct, Boxtel was driven to such a paroxysm of rage that he considered throwing sticks and stones into his neighbour’s tulip beds.”
Boxtel becomes the source of much misery for van Baerle for that telescope revealed much more than secrets about tulips.
Cornelius is arrested and evades a similar fate as his uncles when a last second (sword in the air ready to descend) reprieve arrives. His sentence is commuted to life imprisonment. When he was arrested he had time only to grab three offsets of a bulb that he believes will produce the perfect black tulip. As unlikely as it seems, given the dank, despairing environment of prison, he meets an angel in the form of Rosa the daughter of the brutish jailer Gryphus. She becomes his confidant, his reason to continue living, and the protector of his greatest creation.
Rosa and yes that is Boxtel lurking in the shadows. Image from the Folio Society edition.
”As the rail of the staircase creaked under the prisoner’s heavy hand, the girl half opened the small door of a room which she inhabited in the very wall of the staircase. Holding a lamp in her right hand, she at the same time lit up her delightful pink face, framed in splendid locks of thick blonde hair, while with her left hand she drew her white nightdress across her breast.
It was love at first sight. If Boxtel hadn’t in a fit of jealous, depraved behavior perpetrated a plan to destroy his enemy, Cornelius would have never met the love of his life.
*Sigh*
“Sometimes one has suffered enough to have the right to never say: I am too happy.”
Now the plot revolves around the fate of three tulip offsets and Boxtel’s nefarious attempts to steal them. Rosa is thrust into the maelstrom of tulip craziness not seen since the crash of the tulip market back in 1637. She loves Cornelius, but can not be certain if his love for her eclipses his love for his tulips. I would love to tell you more, but I don’t want to take any chances of imperiling the enjoyment of discovery each of you will experience when you follow this plot to it’s frenzied conclusion. One danger you will not be able to avoid is the sudden desire to obtain and plant the most dazzling display of tulips that can be concocted from the twisted minds of those brilliant Dutch gardeners. Enjoy!
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الحق دولة و الباطل جولة
َوالعدل والحب الطاهر المتسامح سيظلان دوما في ندرة الزنابق السوداء
في أواخر روايته قرر دوماس ان يصارع الظلم لمرة اخيرة من خلال بطله السجين الشاب: كورنيليس فان بيرل المتفرغ لتجاربه المحمومة لانبات زنابق سوداء؛ليفوز"بمائة الف جيلدر هولندي "؛هو لا يهتم بالسياسة اصلا و لكنه يُسجن ظلما؛و يكمل هوسه بزراعه الزنابق من خلال ابنة مدير السجن روزا التي يقع في حبها فتساعده في رعأيتها و انباتها و ينمو حبهما معها
حافظي عليها يا روزا كما ترعى الأم ولدها"،
كما يتمسك الجريح بقطرة الدم المتبقية في عروقه.. زنبقتك هي ابنتي، إنها لا تغيب عن عيني لحظة.. حين أستيقظ إنها أول شيء أنظر إليه، وعندما أنام تكون آخر شيء أراه" ا
قرر دوماس ان يصارع الغيرة و تداعيتها المدمرة لمرة اخيرة من خلال المحاولات المستمرة لتدمير الزنابق و هرسها من قِبل بوكستل العنيد
تسأءل النقاد عن سر اختيار كاتبنا اللون الاسود للزنابق؟ و بالطبع قرروا ان دوماس" الخلاسي" اختاره بسبب معاناته من العنصرية طوال حياته لانه نتاج زواج اب فرنسي مع ام سمراء
رواية تراجيدية تاريخية تمزج بين وقائع هولندية. من عام ١٦٧٣ مع شخصيات خيالية ..بالطبع الرواية مليئة بالمبالغات الرومانسية و الميلودرامية التي كثرت في القرن ١٧ و ال١٩ بل تنحي احيانا لسذاجة الخرافات؛مع تطويل معتاد؛ و أتعجب احيانا انها لنفس كاتب الكونت دي مونت كريستو
هي من القراءات الشائعة لسن الصبا و تعالج فكرتي الغيرة و الهوس بشكل مباشر نوعا ما؛ ويكسر فيها دوماس الحائط الرابع و يخاطب قارئه مباشرة
بالفعل كانت من قراءاتي المفضلة في الصبا و ان كانت فكرة الزهور السوداء توحي لي بأنها احترقت
و ستظل أحداثها تذكرني بمقولة دوماس
*الحب يلهمنا دائما ولكنه يمنعنا من العظمة * -
This is a brilliant piece of work by Alexander Dumas. The story holds many themes: love, courage, honesty and jealousy; and Dumas has woven all these themes in to one of the history's most beautifully said stories.
The story mainly revolves around Dr. Cornelius Van Baerle, a tulip grower who has been wrongly imprisoned, and his journey of sheer courage to see his dream for the production of a black Tulip become a reality. His dream was aided by Rosa Gryphus, the jailer's daughter who becomes the love of his life.
I loved both the male and female lead characters. They somehow left an everlasting impression on me by their courage to face hardships and cruelty, their love and devotion to each other, and their honesty even to the extent of incriminating themselves. I can without a doubt say they will be yet another addition to my favorite character couples in classics.
Dumas had written the villainous characters of Gryphus, the jailer and Boxtel, the jealous rival tulip grower so well that my only regret was that they were not within my reach so that I could strangle them for all the pain they caused to Cornelius and Rosa.
Although Cornelius is said to be the hero of the book, I felt there was a more active heroine at play in the character of Rosa. Her strong love for Cornelius drives her through all obstacles with a courage and strength of that of steel, never yielding and finally ensuring justice is done to him.
The start was tight with first few chapters touching on a bit of gruesome history but once past that, it was extremely interesting. I loved every moment of the read. Having read so many different books, it takes such a book to shake my composure, but this one certainly did. I really did not want it to end and quite sad that it finally ended. -
I have read this several times. I love the complexity of it, as well as it's simplicity.
If you are into love stories - this has a great one - of loyalty, devotion, and self-sacrifice.
If you are into studies of human nature - here too. It explores mob-mentality, politics, truth as it relates to justice, aspirations of power and the willingness to achieve that end regardless of the cost to others. And, underlying everything, the complete destructive capacity of jealousy. The danger of covetousness. All intertwined with history.
This is a little known book, hidden on the shelves behind "The Three Musketeers" and "The Count of Monte Cristo". Forget those for now, and read this one. I'll bet that you won't regret it. -
Dumas is a fantastic story-teller. This was not published originally in periodicals (magazines) — it was published in its entirety in 1850. I found it hard to put down and at some point I could not put it down. I did not think it was going to be that good. The first chapter was the introduction of a lot of names, and it was hard to navigate it. But shortly that became a non-issue.
Wikipedia labels this book as historical fiction. It is based on the tulip craze (tulipmania) in Holland circa 1620-1637, but Dumas did not stick entirely to the facts, and from reading the Introduction of my re-issue of the book by David Coward (Professor of French, University of Leeds), it appears there are some historical inaccuracies. But the professor was not overly concerned and neither am I.
This was a thumping Goodread! If you have not read it, please consider it! 🙂 🙃 🙂 🙃
From the book’s back cover:
• The novel — a deceptively simple story — is set in Holland in 1672, and weaves the historical events surrounding the brutal murder of John de Witte and his brother Cornelius into a tale of romantic love.
The good guys and gals you are rooting for:
• Cornelius Van Baerle, a wealthy, amateur horticulturist
• Rosa, who is daughter of the town’s jailer...Cornelius is in love with her but as well with the black tulip he/they are trying to grow in a competition
The bad guys:
• Isaac Boxtel (later changes his name to Master Jacob), who wants to have the black tulip ofr his very own so he can gain the prize
• Rosa’s father, Gryphus, who is a jailer, who every day wakes up on the wrong side of the bed
Person one is not sure of:
• William, Prince of Orange
Reviews:
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https://shereadsnovels.com/2010/06/15...
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http://vincereview.blogspot.com/2019/...
•
http://www.skjam.com/2016/02/14/book-... -
3.5 rounded up.
Nothing makes me feel like a youngster again quite like reading Dumas. He is a consummate storyteller and when you are reading the story is everything, you are immersed in it, you are suffering the confinement and the injustice and the suspense. The romance is necessary, but not terribly realistic, but then Dumas’ strength is action and it is his male characters who seize and keep your interest. Nobody watched Errol Flynn movies to see the fainting heroine...she was his prop.
This degree of fervor over a tulip might seem extreme, but it is, in fact, based on the history of the time. Holland had tulip fever that amounted to a mania. Dumas certainly put this to good use in his plot development and the creation of the fanatic, Boxtel.
A fun read for me and just right for reading between tasks at this time of year. -
What I like with Alexandre Dumas is that he’s easy to read, despite the facts that he’s clever, he always made historical researches (or had them done by Auguste Maquet?) for his historical novels or plays and had a good knowledge of men hearts, minds and behaviours. The only thing that he misses is the knowledge of women. Most of the time, and wouldn’t say all the time, because I like Alexandre Dumas; mostly, his female characters are secondary and only cute and kind. But, I don’t mind, I’m a weak reader in front of a great storyteller!
So it’s the first time I read The Black Tulip.
Interesting era in the background of the story, a hero who’s "only" a tulip-fancier, political intrigues, murders, jealousy, and love. The Black Tulip is deliciously rocambolesque (sorry, this word doesn’t seem to exist in English, it means fantastic, incredible, awesome?), it’s adventure, love, a story for the pleasure of stories, it’s Dumas!
Add to this passages which shows the great writer like:
Dumas, in a simple writing, explains us the progression of the thought of a jealous man. It’s perfectly thought and shown by Dumas in chapter six starting with this sentence:
"From that moment Boxtel’s interest in tulips was no longer a stimulus to his exertions, but a deadening anxiety. Henceforth all his thoughts ran only upon the injury which his neighbour would cause him, and thus his favourite occupation was changed into a constant source of misery to him."
But, what I liked also in The black Tulip was to recognize Dumas’ thoughts and personal life like:
He’s a man in a hurry who doesn’t have time to dwell on details and descriptions, example in chapter 6 :
"It might perhaps be interesting to explain to the gentle reader the beautiful chain of theories which go to prove that the tulip borrows its colors from the elements; perhaps we should give him pleasure if we were to maintain and establish that nothing is impossible for a florist who avails himself with judgment and discretion and patience of the sun’s heat, the clear water, the juices of the earth, and the cool breezes. But this is not a treatise upon tulips in general; it is the story of one particular tulip which we have undertaken to write, and to that we limit ourselves, however alluring the subject which is so closely allied to ours."
In a word, if you want to know more about tulips, do it by yourself, reader! This makes me smile!
I can also recognize Dumas in the great worker who’s Cornelius. Dumas travelled, had mistresses, gave parties, but he always worked a lot. He wrote his first play, Christine, as he already had a job as a secretary for the Duc d’Orléans to earn money for him and his mother, then, once he could live with his writings, he woke up early and organized his days around his work which was enormous.
I also recognize Dumas the hunter:
"Sometimes, whilst covering Van Baerle with his telescope, he deluded himself into a belief that he was levelling a never-failing musket at him; and then he would seek with his finger for the trigger to fire the shot which was to have killed his neighbour."
On chapter 7, here is Dumas the generous, the man who gave without counting, and here are some examples taken from his life:
One day, Dumas invited friends for dinner. One of them, a famous writer, Emile Bergerat, doesn’t know one of the guests and discreetly asks to Dumas’ son : "Who’s that man ?" Dumas’ son answers : "I don’t know, one of my father’s friends ? Ask him!" That’s what Emile does, and Alexandre Dumas answers: "I don’t know, one of my son’s friends, maybe, ask him!"
Another example, one day, as Dumas was in Florence, Italy, a German Priest knocked at his door and said: "You don’t know me. I’m just a simple Priest. My dream is to visit Roma. I’ve come all this way from Germany, thought I had spared enough money, but now I’m broke and I can’t reach Roma. Could you please lend me some money for my trip there and back to Germany?" And Alexandre Dumas gave him more that what he needed, pleased to help this man he didn’t know.
And on chapter 11, how brillant is the judges deliberation! And how, once again, in their conclusion, I find Alexandre Dumas and the little regard he has for the "little chiefs": those who are incapable of taking a decision by themselves, who always refer to a superior and hide behind orders, timidly. Dumas suffered, while working in the administration of the Duke of Orleans, several small chiefs and he doesn’t hold them in great esteem, just as he doesn’t hold in great estime the judges in this chapter 11.
And how I like Dumas’ humour! A little example in the last sentence of chapter 13:
"… in addition to having his clothes torn, his back bruised, and his hands scratched, he inflicted upon himself the further punishment of tearing out his hair by handfuls, as an offering to that goddess of envy who, as mythology teaches us, wears a head-dress of serpents."
And from chapter 16, Dumas plays with his characters Rosa and Cornelius to amuse us, readers, and it's a pleasure! Some says it’s easy romance? I answer, yes, maybe! But who doesn’t need a bit of love as light as a flower petal in his life? And think about that: Dumas wrote this novel when he was maybe 46 or 48? Isn’t it enviable to be able, when you have lived as much as the author to be as starry-eyed as a teenager, to allow yourself, although you’re a giant, to be romantic and young? I think it is and I think it’s the secret of the eternal youth!
Ah, Dumas, if I had been told that I would enjoy watching a flower grow, I wouldn't have believed it! There is so much in your simple tulip: love, suspense, jealousy, intrigue.
And Rosa! I apologize for having first thought she would be insignificant. It’s a beautiful woman character, who has great qualities: intelligence, psychology, finesse, strength. She leads the adventure as she leads Cornelius…
This poor Cornelius is prisoner for so many weeks. Alone at night in his cell, alone in his littel bed, he thinks of Rosa:
"…under Rosa’s eyes, is the mysterious flower, which lives, which expands, which opens, perhaps Rosa holds in this moment the stem of the tulip between her delicate fingers. Touch it gently, Rosa. Perhaps she touches with her lips its expanding chalice. Touch it cautiously, Rosa, your lips are burning. Yes, perhaps at this moment the two objects of my dearest love caress each other under the eye of Heaven."
Oh, Dumas, naughty boy!
Readers, don't tell me there aren't two degrees of reading!
Poor Cornelius who has such tragi-comic thoughts in chapter 28, it’s so fun!
"…But suppose I should waste ten years of my life in making a file to file off my bars, or in braiding cords to let myself down from the window, or in sticking wings on my shoulders to fly, like Dædalus? But luck is against me now. The file would get dull, the rope would break, or my wings would melt in the sun; I should surely kill myself, I should be picked up maimed and crippled; I should be labelled, and put on exhibition in the museum at the Hague between the blood-stained doublet of William the Taciturn and the female walrus captured at Stavesen, and the only result of my enterprise will have been to procure me a place among the curiosities of Holland."
This novel, which may seem light, also has its well thought-out sentences:
"He was one of those choice spirits who abhor everything that is common, and who often lose a good chance through not taking the way of the vulgar, that high road of mediocrity which leads to everything."
And throughout the book, Dumas accompanies us, with his false modesty of good giant who has nothing more to prove, as in this sentence, for example:
"This … scene which we have tried ― with poor success, no doubt ― to present to the eyes of the reader."
Doesn’t he mean: Please, reader, tell me I’m the best!
And I find it delicious to hear the voice of Dumas two centuries apart!
And I tell him: Dear master, come and speak to my ear again and again. -
Obra típica do romantismo francês com um pano de fundo real centrado na história da Holanda no séc XVII, no auge do fascínio pelo cultivo e comercialização das tulipas.
A tentativa de criação de uma nova tulipa, perfeita e imaculadamente negra, serve de pretexto para uma história de mistério, inveja, perseguição e paixão.
Os capítulos são curtos e terminam sempre de modo a deixar o leitor ansioso pela continuação, as personagens não são muito aprofundadas, há sim, o cuidado de realçar as características positivas ou negativas que irão criar empatia ou aversão junto do leitor.
Tem uma bom ritmo e a história vai fluindo de forma equilibrada e bem humorada. Aliás, as situações caricatas que cobrem de ridículo o vilão, são deliciosas, e são também uma forma eficaz de aligeirar os acontecimentos mais dramáticos. -
"دنیای ادبیات کلاسیک فرانس�� رو دوست دارم"،.سادگی لذت بخشی داره..و ارزش های روشن..خوبی,بدی..همه خیلی واضح و بدون شک و تردید به صحنه وارد میشن...دنیای ادبیات کلاسیک فرانسه رو دوست دارم...
سال ۲۰۱۸ -
Alexandre Dumas was best known for his historical novels of adventure and romance which blended fact and fiction with real and imagined characters. The Black Tulip wasn't as popular among his critics as his better known works such as
The Count of Monte Cristo, but his readers were happy with it when it was first published back in 1850. My book club chose to read it for February, to discuss a classic with some romance, in honor of Valentines Day. And it was a good choice for an entertaining read that was also informative.
This was a story of passion and obsession, love and hatred, fidelity and duplicity, regret and redemption. And it all began with the political atmosphere of that time in Holland during 1672, when Cornelius de Witt, accused of treason and sent into exile, was brutally assassinated along with his brother, an event which truly occurred under unthinkable circumstances. Against this historical backdrop of political unrest, flowers the fictional story in this book of de Witt's godson, Cornelius Van Baerle, as told by an omniscient narrator who at times addressees the reader with quips and asides.
Cornelius Van Baerle, 28, an independently wealthy doctor and painter, in reaction to the madness in the world around him, decides to devote his life to cultivating beauty in the face of such ugliness as what befell his godfather. And so, when a contest with a large prestigious award arises, calling for the discovery of the elusive black tulip, it's just the thing to absorb Cornelius for years. Unfortunately, unknown to him, his neighbor, Boxtel, a less talented horticulturist, also covets the prize and will do anything to obtain it, consequences to himself or others be damned. So when Boxtel learns Cornelius might be on the verge of cultivating a black tulip, stealing the prize out from under him, he hatches a plan which lands the unsuspecting Cornelius in the same shoes and same jail cell as his godfather, accused of treason and facing execution. But unlike his godfather, he is to spend his life imprisoned for what remains of it.
What follows is an increasingly farcical story centering on Cornelius continuing his cultivation in prison of what might be the first black tulip in history. He is aided by his jailer's daughter, Rosa, a possible rival when it comes to the love of his tulip. Will Cornelius succeed or fail, both in tulip growing and in love? Will he forever lose his freedom or end up losing his life instead? Or will he just lose his lust for life when things take a turn for the worse? And what of Boxtel? Will he succeed in winning the coveted prize for himself by means fair or foul, and at what cost to himself and to others? These are questions you'll find answered in this humorous, but dark story, of both the breaking and the making of the human spirit. Along the way, you'll learn some political history concerning Holland and the craze known as tulipmania which peaked during that time. You'll also learn some fascinating facts about tulip cultivation and how it takes six years for a tulip to journey from seed to flower. And in case you're wondering if such a thing as a black tulip ever existed, my research says no, though people have come very close with cultivating the darkest of purples. Come on board for this unusual story and take a trip through much zaniness amongst the more serious elements to find out how it ends. -
"Laleaua neagră" prezintă punctele slabe ale societăţii olandeze din secolul XVII, mai precis, ale anului 1672, când în Olanda -după cum istoria grăieşte- au avut loc manifestaţii ce priveau oscilaţia între simpatia populară pentru monarhie şi cea pentru caracterul republican al statului (aşa cum era el înţeles în epoca respectivă). Mă rog, acesta e fundalul pe care se desfăşoară acţiunea operei.
Romanul are un caracter romantic în cel mai pur sens al acestui curent, fiind prezente antitezele vădit profunde, iubirea platonică, "personajele excepţionale în situaţii excepţionale" şi -cum am precizat mai sus- orientarea spre istorie.
Având în vedere faptul că Dumas nu e Dostoievski (şi nici Franţa nu e Rusia!), e de la sine înţeles că acţiunea porneşte dintr-un cerc aristocratic. Totuşi, ea nu rămâne fixată acolo, ci se răsfrânge şi asupra "plebei".
"Laleaua neagră" -oximoronul din titlu, poetic vorbind- este simbolul în jurul căruia au loc întâmplările, simbolul care uneşte destinele a două personaje excepţionale: Roza şi Cornelius.
Caracterul reprezentantei sexului frumos este unul candid, pur în lipsa lui de educaţie (nu de puţine ori educaţia îi face pe oameni mai mult răi decât buni), fiind, de asemenea, de o frumuseţe excepţională. Cornelius are două pasiuni mistuitoare: Roza şi laleaua neagră ("Să ucidă un om mai merge! Dar să ucizi o lalea este în ochiul unui adevărat tulipier o crimă atât de înspăimântătoare!").
În fapt, "Laleaua neagră" este un roman care anunţă -pueril, se-nţelege- opera ce avea să apară 12 ani mai târziu, opera compatriotului lui Dumas: "Mizerabilii".
"Nimic nu e mai neplăcut pentru oamenii furioşi, decât indiferenţă acelora contra cărora urmează să-şi descarce furia."
"Zelosul tulipier nu înţelegea tot ce se ascunde sub valul acestei indiferenţe a sărmanei copile care se simţea mereu rivală cu laleaua neagră."
Replică-prolog pusă în gură unui anumit Grotius: "Unii oameni suferă destul de mult pentru a avea dreptul să nu spună niciodată: Sunt foarte fericit."
P.S.1: A nu se privi orientările politice ale autorului în acest roman. Tind să cred că a redat adevărul istoric, din moment ce prezista "relele" monarhiei şi ale republicii deopotrivă, insistând, e drept, pe greutatea celor dintâi.
P.S.2: Nu ştiu cine Dumnezeu sunt domnii de la editura REGIS GRUP şi cine e acest aşa-zis traducător Lazăr Marcu, dar au dat-o în bară uraaaat de tot. Cred că şi google translate ar fi tradus mai bine opera din franceză. Eu unul, nici dacă voiam să concep un exerciţiu pentru copiii de la primară, cerându-le să corecteze un text scris greşit, n-aş fi dat dovadă de atâta "ingeniozitate".
Andrei Tamaş,
13 februarie 2016 -
3.5
It has been a long time since I've read anything from Alexandre Dumas and so I was looking forward to this novel.
The Black Tulip takes place in Holland, not France, and is on a much smaller scale than expected. Dumas usually paints on a huge canvas but not this time. The first few chapters do deal with exploding events, but very soon, the narration zooms in on the burgeoning love between an obsessed tulip grower and a courageous and intelligent girl, and a mythical flower.
I loved the language, often over the top, extoling the obsession felt by so many characters over the Black Tulip, and the mocking tone of the narration. The couple is endearing but it is Rosa who shines through the whole story. Some plot choices towards the end felt jarring (to me) but apart from this I did enjoy this simple tale. It has whetted my appetite for more from Dumas. -
The Black Tulip is set in the Netherlands in 1672. It is the story of Cornelius van Baerle and Rosa Gryphus. Hindered by some very unfortunate circumstances they join forces to grow the elusive black tulip. Whilst it is not precisely historically accurate, I think Dumas did an excellent job to capture the tulip-mania zeitgeist.
For me, it was a very easy to read classic, because of my familiarity with the Dutch language and some of the historic events, but that set aside, it is just a wonderful and passionate story in which you can really sympathize with its characters.
5 star rating. -
" إنني أرى شيئاً واحداً...
ماذا ترين ؟
أرى إنك تحب زنابقك إلى حد إنه ليس من متسع في قلبك لأي حب آخر .."
وبالرغم من أن " كورنيليوس" كان مهوساُ بحب الزنابق ولكن هذا لا يمنع بأن تتشارك معها قلبه الجميلةُ "روز"....
وطبعاً بانتظارك النهايات السعيدة التي لا تعرف طريقها بالواقع.... -
Murder! Obsession! Betrayal! Tulips!
This book was such a delight. After the murder of two men, the DeWitts, Cornelius van Baerle is accused of crimes against the state and they lock him up and throw away the key - right into the hands of a cruel and abusive jailer.
Cornelius has been working on developing the black tulip, which is both a labor of love and a task that will win him 100,000 florins if he succeeds. After Cornelius is imprisoned he falls in love with the jailer's daughter, Rosa. Thankfully Rosa returns his love and they conspire to grow the black tulip on their own while keeping it away from the man who is trying to steal the tulip and claim it as his own creation.
This was a surprisingly compelling book. I got sucked in and was completely absorbed in this tale. I even had tears in my eyes at one point towards the end. -
Another great page turner from Dumas. Really enjoyed this uplifting tale.
-
You know how people watch comfort tv-shows or eat comfort food? Well, I find that Dumas is my comfort reading. When I want to read a good story, a good adventure with a good plot, characters I can root for or characters I can hate without remorse, I go to Dumas. He's a bit like that grandfather who's been everywhere in the world and tells the best stories.
Here he goes on to do all this, perhaps a little less successefully than usually: the plot takes a bit to start and I found the beginning a bit stale. Which is odd as it concerns two horrific murders. Perhaps because we know what is going to happen and Dumas really thrives on suspense and on the unknown. It doesn't matter. He recovers as he introduces Rosa and the prison where Cornelius is kept. Also quite noteworthy is the portrayal of William of Orange who, like Richelieu in the Three Musketeers, is written as a highly ambiguous and grey character.
Recommended! -
“Era il 20 agosto dell'anno di grazia 1672”. Così inizia questa avventura, che in perfetto stile Dumas entra subito nel vivo della storia. Intrigo politico, interessi personali, innamoramenti ne fanno un classico senza tempo. Il ritmo è serrato, incalza il lettore e si divora e i personaggi piacevolmente cesellati. Dumas non delude, mai!
Il tulipano è il mio fiore perfetto. La delicatezza dei suoi petali carnosi e grandi me lo rendono più bello di una rosa. -
As the first, and in much likelihood, the only romantic novel I will ever pick up this summer, Alexandre Dumas' "The Black Tulip" is one of the most sentimental, endearing classics I've come across, and is probably every botanist's favorite love story if not their favorite book. Taking place in 17th Century Holland, a gifted and passionate florist by the name of Cornelius Van Baerle, has doted his time and inherited fortune on the cultivating of tulips, widely regarded throughout Europe as the most beautiful of flowers. His life achievement is to successfully produce the impossible, in the form of a spotless black tulip, and present it at an upcoming festival from the Horticultural Society of Haarlem. Suddenly, his life of ease and immense wealth is taken from him when he is arrested as a conspirator against Prince William of Orange due to his godfather's political ties. Imprisoned for life, Van Baerle's only comforts come from the three bulbs he's hidden to plant the black tulip, and the console of the jailer's beautiful, selfless daughter, Rosa, who visits him every night in exchange for reading and writing lessons. Together, they grow the black tulip in secret with Van Baerle relaying instructions to her, while Rosa keeps the tulip in her room. Even as their friendship blossoms, Van Baerle is stalked by enemies. Rosa's drunkard father, Gryphus, delights in abusing the poor prisoner claiming he's a sorcerer conjuring evil, and his former neighbor from home, Boxtel, is a malicious rival whose been observing his every move in search of his incredible flower.
"The Black Tulip" is a beautifully told story of love, courage, and undying devotion amidst the most damnable of circumstances. Dumas infuses his storytelling with an eloquent, Shakespearean-like writing style of heart-rendering poetry. When Rosa expresses her concern that Van Baerle loves his precious tulip over her, he quotes...
"Be it so: no more beautiful flowers with their elegeant grace and their divine caprices! Deprive me of all that, flower jealous of other flowers, deprive me of all that, but do not prevent me from hearing and seeing you, and from listening to your footstep on the dull staircase; do no deprive me of the light of your eyes in this gloomy corridor or of the assurance of your love which unceasingly soothes my heart. Love me, Rosa, for I know well that I love you alone."
The novel starts out a little slow, describing in detail of Holland and the nation's rivalry with the French king, Louis XIV, and Van Baerle's godfather, the Grand Pensionary. As I progressed, I fell in love with it's rich historical insight, immaculate period detail, and classic portrayal of divine intervention. Often times, I find Christian themes rather inspiring in a work of literature, especially in stories from Charles Dickens where good people are rewarded for their honesty and compensated for their misfortunes. I particularly enjoyed "The Black Tulip" for the goodheartedness, strength, and confidence of it's protagonists and the humor of it's more villainous personas from the dim-witted, superstitious Gryphus, to Boxtel's foiled attempts in sabotaging Van Baerle's tulip garden. For all that it's worth, "The Black Tulip" is a classic tale embodying the elements of a truly memorable reading experience. This was the first novel I've read from Dumas, but I already have intentions of reading more from this masterful storyteller of good triumphant. -
This was a quick and entertaining read with an interesting historical backdrop of the tulip mania of the time combined with the murder of the Dutch politician John de Witt and his brother Cornelius by rioting mobs.
From that backdrop, fictional characters are created including a godson of Cornelius (also named Cornelius) who is unjustly imprisoned for high treason, largely because of the connection to his godfather. The fictional Cornelius is a tulip fancier who has created valuable bulbs capable of winning a $100,000 (guilders) prize. He is resigned to leaving them to the friendly and beautiful jailer's daughter who can't read or write. His only condition is that she find herself a husband that she loves. Cornelius is religious and plans to see his prized tulips bloom from heaven.
Then things start to change and obsession for the tulips and each other drive the story forward as shady characters try to thwart their plans. It's a great little story. I may up it to 5 stars later. -
:در مورد این کتاب در سایتی این توضیح نوشته شده بود
الكساندر دوما اين داستان را در مورد وضعيت سياسي هلند در سال ۱۶۷۲ نوشته است و در نوشتن آن از زندگي واقعي "جان" و "كورنليوس دوويت" كه هر دو به اعدام محكوم شدند، الهام گرفته است
داستان تقریبا کوتاهی درباره مردی که پرورش دهنده ی گُل است .وی لاله جدیدی
...می کارد تا در مسابقه زیباترین گُل پیروز گردد
لاله سیاه اسم زیبا و با معنایی است برای رویدادهای کتاب
عاشق این نوع گل لاله هستم
اما راستش نمیدونم اسم رنگش چیه!؟
هر رنگی که باشه فوق العاده است
-
El Tulipán Negro es la prueba definitiva de que se puede escribir una novela de aventuras en la que apenas pase nada y que, sin embargo, te tenga vilo de principio a fin. Ha conseguido incluso que llegue medio a simpatizar con el odiado Guillermo de Orange, pese al terrible y bien contado linchamiento de los hermanos de Witt, que me ha recordado a la eficacia con que el autor describió en la Reina Margot la Matanza de la Noche de San Bartolomé. Hay pues violencia, pero, también y sobre todo, hay romance, un héroe valiente, digno y bondadoso, que, aún habiendo participado en la (una de) las guerras con Francia, no es precisamente un hombre de acción. Y después tenemos a la bella e inteligente Rosa, que es la que tiene el verdadero coraje y sostiene la trama. La forma de narrar de Dumas compone escenas, es teatro narrado, o un guión avant la lètre. Las retratos psicológicos son breves y se muestran en las acciones de los personajes más que en descripción y la reflexión. Y las acciones son incluso simples pensamientos expresados a modo de "a parte" como, ya he dicho, en el teatro. Además de una cierta crítica al poder y a la veleidad de las masas, la creatividad y el amor contra la envidia enfermiza y la mediocridad enquistada es el tema de la novela. Y el preciado tulipán negro el símbolo del triunfo de los primeros.
Esta exhibición del tulipán era un homenaje rendido por todo un pueblo sin cultura y sin gusto, al gusto y a la cultura de los jefes célebres y piadosos que sabían verter la sangre sobre el pavimento fangoso de la Buytenhoff, sin que por ello dejaran de inscribir más tarde los nombres de sus víctimas sobre la piedra más hermosa del panteón holandés. -
In 1672, Cornelius and Johan de Witt, brothers and prominent citizens of Holland were charged with treason and sentenced to exile. Cornelius had been tortured in the hope that he would confess to plotting with the French king, but he said not a word. He was guilty but he was safe in the knowledge that the evidence was safely hidden.
His silence did not save them. The authorities, and William of Orange in particular, wanted rid of the troublesome pair and so they manipulated the situation. The two brothers were lynched by an angry mob early on their journey to their place of exile.
The opening chapters of the story were a little more difficult to follow than I had expected, but I kept going because it was Dumas, because I understood that this was real history, because I knew there would be tulips, because I had read much that was positive about this book, and because I’d had in mind for my 100 Years of Books for quite some time.
I’m glad that I did.
‘Contempt for flowers is an offence against God. The lovelier the flower, the greater the offence in despising it. The tulip is the loveliest of all flowers. So whoever despised the tulip offends God immeasurably.’
The story moves to Cornelius van Baerle, a wealthy young man who lived quietly in the country and devoted his life to his tulips. He studied them, so that he could grow the very best flowers and develop new varieties. When the Haarlem Tulip Society offered a prize for the first black tulip presented to them, Cornelius set to work. Not for the prize, not for the glory, but for the chance to introduce such a flower into the world.
He didn’t know that his neighbour, Isaac Boxtel, had the same ambition; or that his motives were self-serving and that he was prepared to go to any lengths to win and to ensure that his neighbour did not.
Cornelius van Baerle was the godson of Cornelius de Witt, but he had followed his father’s advice to steer clear of politics; and that may be why when his godfather asked him to be the custodian of a packet of letters he accepted readily and put it away safely.
His neighbour didn’t know that, but he had seen the visitor and when he heard the news of the murders he denounced his rival to his authorities. The packet was discovered just where Cornelius had put it, and his protestations that he had no knowledge of the contents were greeted with disbelief. He had just enough time to hide his three black tulip bulbs in his clothing before he was taken to the same prison where his godfather had been held.
Rosa, the beautiful and spirited daughter of Gryphus, his brutal jailor, came to love Cornelius. She feared that he loved tulips more than her, but she loved him more than enough to do everything she could to help him to grow his black tulip in secret. He did love her, but he knew that his future was uncertain and so he was unwilling to say or do anything that would confirm his feelings.
Neither of them knew that Boxtel was close at hand, plotting and scheming to capture the bulbs.
Cornelius knew that he might not live long enough to see his black tulip flower.
'He thought of the beautiful tulips which he would see from heaven above, at Ceylon, or Bengal, or elsewhere, when he would be able to look with pity on this earth, where John and Cornelius de Witt had been murdered for having thought too much of politics, and where Cornelius van Baerle was about to be murdered for having thought too much of tulips.'
The story that plays out is captivating, it is wonderfully readable, and this short novel holds a great deal more than most other books with similar proportions. Every character, every incident, every dialogue, has its purpose; and the plot, a lovely fiction spun around real history, is very well built by a very fine craftsman.
There are echoes of his other work, it is recognisably his work, but it is also quite distinctive.
There is a beautifully handled romance, there is wonderful suspense and intrigue, there is a nice dash of comedy, and there is a race to present the black tulip that leaves the outcome for all concerned in doubt to the very end.
The conclusion ties all of the plot strands together, and a little glimpse of what the future held was a lovely final touch. -
Somehow this is the first Dumas novel I've ever read, aside from some questionable kids' version of Musketeers. However, I'm no idiot and I know that Dumas liked writing stories about people in prison and either wearing diving helmets or falling in love. I don't know if the guy was impotent or what, but if he was than Tulip must've been written after he discovered some efficacious unguent for his harried nethers. This is so, it must be so, because this novel is about all kinds of blossomings, but largely love. And like anyone with a pulse and without an iPhone, I think love is pretty excellent. I also like tulips and the concept of things "Frisian".
This book has all that and a little overwrought historical dramatics as well! Cornelius is wrongly jailed after his godfather is ripped to pieces by some overexcited Dutch people. At the height of Tulipomania (yes, this existed), the clamor was on for cultivating the ultra-rare Black Tulip. No, not the Black Lotus. The Black Tulip. Being in jail and having the lovely Frisian Rosa as his jailor's daughter, the two conspire to grow said rare flower. And they fall in love. That last bit is kind of a no-shitter, but Cornelius is so stupid and flower-focused that Rosa fears maybe she isn't all that, despite every guy between Dordrecht and the Zuider Zee trying to (fill in obligatory tulip euphemism). All things work out as they do, or do they? For Cornelius was fucking framed and the asshole who did it knows about the secret bulbing going on between Corny and Rosa.
I love this kind of shit. I was alternately worried and cheering for these flower-growing motherfuckers! Plus, the book is fantastically funny, more so than I think a lot of critics gave it credit for. I can heartily recommend this. -
3.5 stars for this lesser-known work of Alexander Dumas. Set in the 17th C it is full of political intrigue Tulip fever and jealousy gone amok. The first chapters set up the political unrest in the region and introduced the ill-fated de Witte brothers and a relationship with Cornelius van Baerle. I was taken aback by the gruesomeness of a mob out of control and the blood lust that can be contagious. It gave me horrible mental images of what could have happened in the U.S on Jan 6th 2021 if the mob found their human targets. Well, I digress.
Tulip fever was bourgeoning and most of the story revolves around an obsessive and jealous Isaac Boxtel and his desire to be the cause celeb r/t Tulip growing. But alas his neighbor Cornelius has discovered and lavished a nurturing care to Tulips that has become renown in his city of Dort. Soon there is a contest with a large purse for the one who can grow a perfect black Tulip. When Isaac is thwarted in his efforts to derail Cornelius he leverages what appears to be a treasonous link with the de Wittes to get Cornelius put in prison and out of the contest. Ah not so fast!!! But you will have to read the book to find out what happens. There is a romance, a little far-fetched but it gave a chance to bring into the story a lovely heroine in the character of Rosa. She seems a weak character at first, but the character evolves and shows smarts, courage, & loyalty. -
"حق السعادة هو: لمن قاسى الكثير"
.
تدور أحداث هذه الرواية, عن شخص قرر أن يعتزل العالم وأن يقضي كل وقته في زراعة الزهور , وأن ينتج لوناً غريباً ومميزاً ..
ولكن بسبب غيرة وحسد الجار, وسوء حظه, سجن الرجل قبل أن يحقق حلمه , وكان على وشك أن يعدم وتنتهي جميع أحلامه ,,
ولكن فجأة, تتغير الأحداث ويكون هنالك أمل جديد في كسب كل شيء قد خسره.
.
طوال أستماعي لهذه الرواية, فكرة واحدة كانت تخطر على بالي ,,
لماذا لايتركون هذا الرجل البائس لوحده ,, لماذا الجميع يغار ويحسد علاقته اللطيفة مع زنبقته السوداء ..
أعني أين يمكن ان يذهب لينفرد مع زهرته دون أزعاج , حتى في السجن كانت هنالك "روزا" التي تغار من علاقته مع الزنبقة وتحاسبه حساباً شديداً عندما يذكرها أو يهتم بها.
.
الرواية كانت عادية ولامميز فيها.
كالعادة, قصة حب مبالغ بها , وأحداث كثيرة تحصل كما يشتهي أبطال الرواية ..
لاشيء جديد في هذا النوع من الروايات.
شعرت أن هذه الرواية مناسبة لليافعين , شخصياً لم أشعر بشيء عندما كنت أستمع لها, كانت الأحداث مبالغ بها وسهلة التوقع الى حد كبير.
هذا النوع من القصص ينفع فقط لأن يكون قصة ماقبل النوم تحكيها للصغار. -
Viaggio, in compagnia di Monsieur Dumas, nella laboriosa Olanda repubblicana del “secolo d’oro” .
Giunti all’Aia vedo, in lontananza, un nugolo di sagome dirette verso il Buitenhof. Ci avviciniamo. Chissà, dico io, ci sarà uno spettacolo. Si sente vociare, ma ancora nulla si vede. Ci affacciamo dalla carrozza e chiediamo ragione di tanto schiamazzo. Perdiana! Quei bravi borghesi de L’Aia hanno appena fatto a pezzi i cadaveri dei fratelli de Witt, Jan e Cornelius. Guardo Monsieur Dumas, dico: Andateci piano, per favore! Perché lo so che tutto quel che accade è per vostra volontà!
Ridacchia, lui. Se cominciamo così, siamo a posto.
Per fortuna la nuova meta è la piccola e ridente Dordrecht, con le sue casette bianche e rosse, i suoi mulini a vento, i suoi fiori variopinti. Una di queste case illuminate dal sole, appartiene a Cornelius Van Baerle ed è stata, prima, del padre e del nonno. Il padre col suo commercio aveva accumulato tanto denaro da rendere ricco il figliuolo. Monsieur Dumas mi racconta che il vecchio Van Baerle, prima di accomiatarsi dal mondo, aveva dato un suggerimento al giovane Cornelius: «Se vuoi vivere davvero, mangia bevi e spendi, perché non è vita lavorare tutto il giorno seduto su una sedia di legno o in una poltrona di cuoio, dentro un laboratorio o dentro un negozio. Pure tu morirai, e se non ti toccherà la fortuna di avere un figlio il nostro nome si estinguerà, e i nostri fiorini, pieni di stupore, si ritroveranno con un padrone sconosciuto, quei bei fiorini ancora nuovi che abbiamo pesato soltanto io, mio padre e chi li ha fusi. Soprattutto non prendere esempio dal tuo padrino Cornelius de Witt, che si è buttato in politica, la più ingrata delle carriere, e che di sicuro finirà male». Quel Cornelius de Witt? Chiedo io. Sì, lui. La cosa non mi rassicura. Mi racconta che il giovane Van Baerle ha investito parte dell’eredità paterna per dedicarsi alla sua passione, i tulipani. Poi Monsieur Dumas leva il dito a indicare un’altra abitazione, proprio accanto a quella di Cornelius. Lì, mi spiega, abita un altro uomo con la stessa passione, un certo Isaac Boxtel. Un tipo sgradevole, bassetto, calvo, sguardo torvo e gambe storte. E invidioso. Tanto. Monsieur Dumas aggiunge che un giorno entrambi cercheranno di far nascere il tulipano nero. Fiore che renderà al suo creatore 100mila fiorini (lui lo sa, per questo mi racconta cosa accadrà). Anche in una piccola e ridente città, dove si coltivano fiori, allo stesso modo si crescono serpi. E Boxtel nutre entrambe le creature.
Non faccio a tempo a porre una domanda che mi ritrovo in quel postaccio, dove c’è la prigione del Buitenhof. Ecco, mi dice Monsieur Dumas, qui c’erano i fratelli de Witt, e qui finirà il giovane Van Baerle. E perché, di grazia? Risponde che lo saprò a tempo debito. Toh!
Tuttavia afferma che qui Cornelius incontrerà un altro fiore. Il fiore della sua vita. Dopo il tulipano.
Monsieur si stropiccia un baffo, maschera un sorriso, mi suggerisce di voltare la pagina, ché la via è ancora lunga. La ricompensa garantita.
Monsieur Dumas, si mormora che uno dei vostri “ghostwriter” (un certo Maquet, pare) abbia versato parecchio del proprio inchiostro per Il tulipano. Ditemi, è vero? E nel caso, lo avete almeno ben retribuito?
P.S. Edizione digitale Newton Compton. Diversi refusi. E passi. Però: “…quattrocentomila fiorini che il signor Van Baerle figlio aveva trovato ancora intatti alla morte dei suoi cari genitori, nel 1668, benché quei fiorini portassero tutti una data di conio intorno al 1640 e alcuni addirittura del 1810, il che provava che nel mucchio c’erano dei fiorini del padre di Van Baerle e anche del nonno di Van Baerle”. Non è che avranno avuto la macchina del tempo per fare un salto nel 1810, no? -
2.8 stars
لاله سیاه، به معرفی بخشی از تاریخ هلند در قرن ۱۷ که زیر سلطه کشور پرتقال بود می پردازد
در این اثر "لاله سیاه " نماد عشق به وطن و میهن پرستی است و عشق میان کرنلیوز و رزا ، عشقی انسانی
الکساندر دوما در این اثر به بلوغ رفتاری و احساسی انسان هایی اشاره می کند که حب به میهن و وطن را در کنار صداقت و عشق به هم نوع در بالاترین وجه خود دارند
رزا برای تعهد و مسئولیتی که احساس می کند خود را در شرایط سخت و وحشتناکی قرار می دهد... اتهامی که اگر ثابت می شد به قیمت جانش تمام می شد اما تعهدی که به کرنلیوس که پرورش دهنده لاله سیاه بود و عشقی که نسبت به او داشت سبب شد تا تمام مصایب و دشواری ها را به جان بخرد تا هم عشق و علاقه اش را به کرنلیوس اثبات کند و هم به وطنش( گل لاله) -
3.5
Clásico histórico romántico francés, donde en Holanda se gesta una aparente sencilla historia del triángulo amoroso entre doncella - sabio obsesionado - y un tulipán ...«Encontraba a Rosa bonita como todos los amores de la Tierra; la hallaba buena, graciosa, encantadora.
Mas ¿por qué Rosa prohibía que se hablara del tulipán?
Esta era una gran falta que Rosa cometía.
Cornelius se dijo, suspirando, que la joven no era absolutamente perfecta.»
Ah, y no olvides el hasta donde puede llegar la envidia. Personajes villanos y obsesionados también, pero unidimesionales hay que decirlo.
Con la apertura de un hecho histórico real y la violenta muerte por la turba -y un manejo politico de cuerdas- de dos personajes pro-republicanos: Jean y Corneille de Witt en 1672, inicia una de esas intrigas de cartas comprometedoras y prisionero injustamente apresado, que termina siendo una declama por el amor de la pureza de esa obra de Dios que son las flores, y por sobre todo los tulipanes (en medio de una tulipo-manía que afectaba su valor por las nubes). La simpatía de Dumas por la tragedia de los de Witt es evidente.
El lenguaje derrocha halagos por flores y virtud cristiana.
Nous sommes les filles du feu secret,
Du feu qui circule dans les veines de la terre;
Nous sommes les filles de l'aurore et de la rosée,
Nous sommes les filles de l'air,
Nous sommes les filles de l'eau;
Mais nous sommes avant tout les filles du ciel.
Por otra parte, se agradece y no deja de sorprender que la doncella sencilla y humilde , no deja de tener su ingenio y hasta iniciativa a diferencia de otras heroinas romanticas por ahi. Rosa , la bella frisona de cabellos dorados, va además contra el común que los de su clase eran orangistas en su época.
Mientras Cornelius van Baerle , burgues adinerado, es un sabio que sigue las palabras de Dios , sin preocuparse demasiado de las mundanas. El hecho de haber participado en una de las grandes batallas navales le ampara un poco el derecho a sumergirse en bulbos de tulipanes. Pero para nada se compara a un Edmundo Dantes, ni siquiera a un Aramis.
Novela corta que carece de la complejidad intrigante , a la par de personajes de sus otras novelas. Sin embargo, hay una suave ironia detrás que deja entrever el colchón de futileza de los burgueses que prosiguen lujos efimeros como cúlmine de su vida después de haber vivido cruentas guerras religiosas . . . o tal vez como un rey ambicioso al fin consiguió lo que quería (Guillermo de Orange luego fue rey de Inglaterra). .. Eh, eso queda a juicio del lector.«Despreciar las flores es ofender a Dios».
«Cuanto más bella es la flor, más al despreciarla se ofende a Dios».
«El tulipán es la más bella de todas las flores».
«Por lo tanto, quien desprecia al tulipán ofende desmesuradamente a Dios».
