Les Misérables

Victor Hugo

Les Misérables — Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo, has been described as one of literature’s greatest novels. The first two volumes were published in French in March 1862 and translated into English later the same year. Since then it has been translated by numerous others and has been adapted for film, television, radio, animation and the stage. This epic novel tells the story of Jean Valjean, an ex-convict attempting to escape his past. Newly released from the penal prison in Toulon, he steals the silverware from the bishop who has taken him in for the night. When he is captured, the bishop urges him to use the silver to become an honest citizen. Valjean becomes a wealthy factory owner and mayor, but his past follows him in the form of Police Inspector Javert, who knew him when Javert worked as a prison guard. A woman dismissed from Valjean’s factory is sentenced to six months’ imprisonment but dies in the town’s hospital. Feeling responsible for the downward spiral of her life, Valjean rescues her daughter, Cosette, from the corrupt innkeepers in whose care her mother had left her. The rest of the novel tells the stories of Valjean, Cosette and other characters which intertwine with each other. Hugo also included a number of “digressions” on subjects including cloistered religious orders, the use of slang language and, most significantly, the battle of Waterloo. The book was highly anticipated in 1862, having been advertised from as early as 1860. Hugo did not allow the publishers to summarise the story in advance.