The Two Dianas

About “The Two Dianas”

The Two Dianas is a historical novel published between 1846 and 1847. It was attributed to Alexandre Dumas but was mostly or entirely written by his friend Paul Meurice. The title refers to two women named Diana—Diane de Poitiers and her supposed daughter, Diana de Castro. The story is set before Dumas's Valois trilogy and follows the character Gabriel, comte de Montgomery. Other figures include Martin Guerre, Catherine de Médicis, and Ambroise Paré. When Meurice later published a play based on the novel, a letter supposedly from Dumas was included, stating he had never read the book and that Meurice was the true author. Some suggest Dumas may have had some involvement. According to F. W. J. Hemmings, the novel lacks Dumas's usual skill. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)