This novel is written by Alexandre Dumas in collaboration with Auguste Maquet. Completed in 1844, it is partly inspired by real events. The ancient Egyptian novel "The Lost Sailor" was a major influence on this novel. The novel tells how on February 4, 1844, at the beginning of the reign of Louis XVIII, and the day Napoleon Bonaparte left Elba, Edmond d'Auntis, a 19-year-old sailor and second-in-command of the Pharaoh, arrived in Marseille the next day to propose to his lover, Mercedes. Betrayed by two jealous friends, he was convicted as a co-conspirator of Napoleon Bonaparte and imprisoned in the prison of the Château d'Hautes off Marseille. After 14 years, initially despairing and then hardened by his colleague, Father Faria, he finally escaped and seized a treasure that Father Faria had hidden and left on the island of Monte Cristo. He became rich and powerful and began a systematic journey of revenge against those responsible for his imprisonment. The novel is one of Alexandre Dumas' most famous works, along with The Three Musketeers, both in France and abroad. It was originally published in a newspaper in two parts, the first in 1844 and the second in 1846.