Victor Hugo

Les Misérables' classic story has been retold on stage, in film, and in song. Read the entire story in this complete and unabridged paperback edition!

Jean Valjean was convicted for stealing a loaf of bread; upon his release, hardened by years of labor, he steals a pair of candlesticks from a priest. . . and upon his re-capture for the crime, is changed by the priest's forgiveness and grace towards him. He becomes a factory owner, then a mayor, even taking upon himself a small child, Cosette, who was the daughter of one of his employees. However, he is hunted by Inspector Javert, and his reformed life is constantly under threat of discovery. Set against the June Rebellion, this historical novel is renowned for its epic storyline that covers the French political and judicial systems along with the intricate motivations of its memorable cast of characters.

Translated by Lee Fahnestock and Norman Macafee, based on the 19th century Charles E. Wilbour translation. With an introduction by Lee Fahnestock and a new afterward by Chris Bohjalian. 1472 pages, softcover.

Before the huge crowd that packed the cathedral square, La Esmeralda stood between two executioners. Suddenly Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame, rushed at the executioners and felled them with his enormous fists. He snatched the gypsy girl in one arm and ran with her into the church. A moment later he appeared at the top of the bell tower. Holding the girl above his head, he showed her triumphantly to all of Paris while his thunderous voice roared savagely to the sky: “Sanctuary! Sanctuary! Sanctuary!”

Set amid the riot, intrigue, and pageantry of medieval Paris, Victor Hugo’s masterful tale of heroism and adventure has been a perennial favorite since its first publication in 1831 and remains one of the most thrilling stories of all time.

For most of his life, Victor Hugo (1802-1885) was the most famous writer in the world. His legacy includes the nineteenth century's most celebrated works of drama, fiction, memoir, and criticism. But in his day Hugo was know foremost as a poet-indeed the greatest French poet of the age. He wrote with passion about history, erotic experience, familial love, philosophy, nature, social justice, art, and mysticism.

In this new bicentennial edition, acclaimed poet and translator Brooks Haxton offers an exquisite selection of Hugo's finest work: love poems, historical tableaux, elegy, and idyll, including his incomparable "Boaz Asleep," which Marcel Proust praised as the most beautiful poem of the nineteenth century.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.