Alexandre Dumas, the literary titan known for The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Man in The Iron Mask, was immensely popular during his lifetime, but petty professional jealousies and the politics of race in the 19th century-he was often mocked in the press for his African ancestry-denied him a seat among the French literary elite. His wit and charm masked how deeply the rejection wounded him.
For Tracy Sharpley-Whiting, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies and French, Dumas' literary legacy-and omission from the Académie Française-ignited her interest in exploring the interior lives of historical figures whose artistic influence shaped their worlds. Today she is researching the next body of work she'll add to her impressive literary canon: a multi-life biography titled Men I'd Like to Have Known, and the One Woman I'd Like to Have Met.
Sharpley-Whiting's new book illuminates the lives of four historical figures across France and the U.S., among them, a "contraband" Civil War soldier, essentially a fugitive slave, who learned to read and write and posed as a free man of color from Massachusetts to serve in the Union Army.
"Black Civil War soldiers represented about 10 percent of the Union forces," she says. "His story helps us understand how powerfully motivating the ideals of freedom and democracy are."
Sharpley-Whiting's work continues off the page-she's consulting in the production of a Josephine Baker film by award-winning filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré, starring FKA Twigs.
"I've written about Baker in a book on Black women expatriates," Sharpley-Whiting says. "So, I'm looking forward to this next chapter as a scholarly film consultant. I'd love to take students in the Black Paris course I teach on set and introduce them to the French film scene and filmmakers. After all, the French invented cinema as the 'septième art' (seventh art)."
This spring, Sharpley-Whiting received a fitting honor: election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Founded in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock and other Enlightenment-era political and intellectual leaders, the AAAS is one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.
"Tracy's election to the AAAS celebrates her decades of illuminating, insightful and fascinating scholarship," said Timothy P. McNamara, Searcy Family Dean of the College of Arts and Science. "Through her work, she uncovers stories untold, lives undiscovered and important truths that help us understand our past-and our present. I am appreciative of her contributions to the college and to her field. This honor is extremely well-deserved."
Sharpley-Whiting learned of her election post-workout and mid-pressed juice while doing Vanderbilt global engagement work in Taipei.
"I read [the email] twice. I think I squealed a bit," Sharpley-Whiting says. "I felt a deep gratitude to those who nominated me and the other AAAS fellows who took up the nomination. And yes, I thought about Dumas."
