Alexandre Dumas returned from his trip to Russia in 1859 with an admiration
for Russian literature, and, apparently, a bundle of manuscripts. On his
return, he published several translations short stories by Pushkin and
other Russian authors, and he translated or adapted several short novels,
including Sultanetta, Boule de Neige, and Jane. One of these works
was Maison de Glace, an interesting work set in St. Petersburg in 1739.
The Tsarina Anna Ivanova (1693-1740) was the absolute ruler of Russia. In
ill-health and uninterested in politics, Anna relied on her lover, Ernst
Biron (1690-1772), a German adventurer to govern her realm. Biron and a
group of fellow Germans ruled through terror and intimidation, and were
particularly hated by the displaced Russian nobility. The Russian noble,
Artemy Wolensky, nominally Prime Minister, is the head of a conspiracy to
unseat Biron. Wolensky is expecting an emissary from the Ukraine, bearing
a petition recounting Biron's abuses to lay before the Tsarina. But the
courier is captured by Biron and tortured to death by having cold water
poured over him in the midst of the Russian winter.
The Tsarina charges Wolensky with building, as part of winter carnival, an
imitation Palace, constructed entirely from ice. The married Wolensky
also falls in love with one Anna's ladies in waiting, the Princess
Mariolizza, who, unbeknownst to anyone, is actually of humble birth, the
daughter of a gypsy. Mariolizza's gypsy mother arrives in St. Petersburg,
and, when her resemblance to Mariolizza is noted, disfigures herself to
protect her daughter's identity.
Wolensky's conspiracy triumphs momentarily when the frozen corpse of the
courier is spirited into the Maison de Glace, along with his petition, for
the Tsarina to discover. But Wolensky is betrayed, his liaison with
Mariolizza is used to destroy him. Mariolizza dies in the Maison de Glace,
and Wolensky is executed for treason.
This book is one of a number of hybrid works in the Dumas canon. It
appears to be a Russian original, translated into French, and extensively
re-written by Dumas. In chapter one and in several other places in the
book, one can observe a crude and literal translation from the Russian,
with immense indigestible sentences and paragraphs that preserve the
original Russian syntax. However, beginning with about Chapter 2, Dumas'
inimitable authorial voice and characterization take over. Wolensky in
particular is transformed into Dumas' notion of pre-revolutionary French
aristocrat, and Mariolizza becomes a typical Dumasian heroine.
However, there is also ample evidence of a deeply Russian and decidedly
non-Dumasian authorial sensibility at work. The book is profoundly
pessimistic about Russia and bursts with arresting visual images, such as
the Maison de Glace, used as a metaphor for the Russian monarchy. The
frozen body of the courier becomes a character in itself, and turns up
repeatedly to mutely reproach the cruelty of Biron and the incapacity of
Anna. It seems most likely that Dumas admired the work, but saw that the
translation in his possession was inadequate. One can imagine that he
began by trying to render the translation into better French and finished
by re-writing large sections of the book.
