I am a big book nerd and moving to the Netherlands gave me an excuse to look for books about the Netherlands. The latest book in my list was The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas. I know the choice seems bizarre because Dumas is a French writer, and, to make matters worse, never visited the Netherlands. So….is the novel any good?

The Black Tulip is about one of the icons of the Netherlands: the tulip. The tulip is probably the most recognized icon of the country. To this day, people come to the Netherlands and seek this colorful beauty in the Keukenhof, at flower shops, and inside the countless souvenir shops around the country. When this flower was brought to the Netherlands, it was considered the most pure and majestic flower, something like proof that God existed. Flower growers everywhere began experimenting with the bulbs seeking new color variations. In no time, bulbs became a sort of currency reaching the value of a house. As was to be expected, the bubble eventually burst and many people ended up in bankruptcy.

Dumas’s novel is not so much about the Tulip bubble, but, more specifically, about one man’s search for the black tulip. Cornelius, the protagonist, is nephew to two political leaders of the country. Because of his uncles’ opposition to King William, they are sent to jail and later are killed by a mob. (The preface of the book explains that this part of the story is based on real events). Cornelius becomes victim to an injustice because of his family ties just as soon as he is able to alter three bulbs that will bloom into the sought after black tulip.

With the help of Rose, the daughter of his jailer, Cornelius is able to continue with his bulb plans. Rose, whose flower name is no coincidence, falls in love with Cornelius and even becomes jealous of his love and devotion to the black tulip. Cornelius thus most choose which flower he loves most. The novel concludes with a parade in honor of the black tulip, however, the ownership of the tulip is under scrutiny and Rose and Cornelius must fight for what is rightfully theirs.

Overall, I found Dumas’s novel very interesting and full of details about Dutch life. Many of Dumas’s friends visited the Netherlands and, it is said, that Dumas based his novel on many of the stories he heard about the low lands. Cornelius and Rose quickly become the protagonists readers love and hope get a happy ending. A bigger story in The Black Tulip is the craze surrounding economic bubbles. While the novel doesn’t discuss the financial repercussions, it does touch on the emotional aspect of the tulip bubble– the desire for that priced item, and what people are willing to do to get that.

The following video explains the tulip bubble or as it is called in the Netherlands de tulpenmanie.

https://youtu.be/F64jvdvRpBc

Related vocabulary:

de tulp– the tulip
de roos– the rose
de manie– the mania, craze
de economie– the economy
de tulpenbollen– the tulip bulbs
stijgen– to rise
de zeepbel– the bubble
het aanbod– the supply
de vraag– the demand
barsten– to burst