Novel of the Century: The Extraordinary Adventure of Les Miserables

Les Misérables is the most widely read and frequently adapted story of all time, and David Bellos' new book explores how Hugo wrote it despite a revolution, coup d'état, and political exile. It also emphasizes the moral and social message of the novel, which is as important for our century as it was for its own.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 01 March 2018
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Never mind those self-help manuals urging that some classic novel may change your life; in this sparkling study of the birth, growth, and afterlife of Hugo's evergreen blockbuster, David Bellos argues that Les Misérables has already done so. Any reader who hasn't yet embarked on Hugo's book might be converted to the idea by this one. Daniel Hahn, Spectator. The extraordinary story of how a simple tale of love and revolution, the poor and the downtrodden—Victor Hugo's beloved classic Les Misérables—conquered the world. There has never been a book like it. It is the most widely read and frequently adapted story of all time, on stage and on film. But why is Les Misérables the novel of the century? David Bellos's remarkable new book brings to life the extraordinary story of how Hugo managed to write his epic novel despite a revolution, a coup d'état, and political exile; how he pulled off the deal of the century to get it published, and set it on course to become the novel that epitomizes the grand sweep of history in the nineteenth century. Packed full of information about the background and design of Les Misérables, this biography of a masterpiece nonetheless insists that the moral and social message of Hugo's ever-popular novel is just as important for our century as it was for its own. The Novel of the Century is a book as rich, remarkable, and long-lasting as the novel at its heart. Les Misérables is available as a Penguin Classic, in an acclaimed new translation by Christine Donougher, with an introduction by Robert Tombs.

Weight: 310g
Dimension: 197 x 129 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780241954478