Classics — The Book Roads

The Black Tulip

Alexandre Dumas

Set in the Netherlands in 1672, The Black Tulip follows Cornelius van Baerle, a passionate and wealthy tulip grower whose greatest ambition is to cultivate the first completely black tulip. His peaceful life is shattered when political intrigue leads to his imprisonment, after he is falsely accused of conspiring against the powerful brothers Cornelis and Johan de Witt. Behind bars, Cornelius continues his botanical pursuit with the help of Rosa, the jailer’s daughter, who becomes his devoted ally and eventually his beloved. As jealousy, betrayal, and greed threaten his dream, Cornelius must fight to protect both his flower and his freedom. Blending historical adventure, romance, and political drama, Dumas explores the destructive power of envy alongside the redemptive strength of loyalty and compassion. The black tulip becomes a symbol of perseverance and the pursuit of an extraordinary goal in a world shaped by ambition and injustice.

France 1850