Showing results by author "Victor Hugo" in All Categories

Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by an ensemble cast which includes the BAFTA award-winning actor Adeel Akhtar (Killing Eve; The Night Manager; Les Miserables), Adrian Scarborough (Gavin and Stacey; The King's Speech), Natalie Simpson (Outlander; Les Miserables), Emma...

Les Misérables is set in Paris after the French Revolution. In the sewers and backstreets, we encounter "the wolf-like tread of crime", and assassination for a few sous is all in a day's work. We weep with the unlucky and heart-broken Fantine, and we exult with the heroic revolutionaries of the barricades; but above all we thrill to the steadfast courage and nobility of soul of ex-convict Jean Valjean, always in danger from the relentless pursuit of the diabolical Inspector Javert.

Set in the Parisian underworld and plotted like a detective story, Les Miserables follows Jean Valjean, originally an honest peasant, who has been imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister's starving family. A hardened criminal upon his release, he eventually reforms, becoming a successful industrialist and town mayor. Despite this, he is haunted by an impulsive former crime and is pursued relentlessly by the police inspector Javert.

Joss Ackland, Roger Allam and Leslie Phillips star in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel. When poverty drives Jean Valjean to steal a loaf of bread from a baker’s window, it is an action that will haunt him for the rest of his life. A citizen of...

Un enregistrement exceptionnel : les cinq volumes des "Misérables", un des plus grands romans de la littérature française, enfin disponibles en livre audio. Jean Valjean, Cosette, les Thénardier, Gavroche, ou encore Javert sont autant de noms qui résonnent au-delà de l'histoire qui les a fait naître. Ces misérables sont décrits à la fois comme des archétypes du genre humain, mais aussi comme les produits d'une société génératrice de pauvreté, d'ignorance et de désespoir.

Life has the capacity of great moments and attainment, of lives well lived, fulfilling for ourselves and for those we touch. But for others life is arduous. There is no spark to ignite the curiosity, to explore and achieve a stability and a growth to their lives. Indeed their lives, in their own eyes, become almost meaningless, their sense of themselves subsumed under a myriad of problems, whether real or imagined. Seismic events in a life might crush them; the loss of a loved one for instance. Coping is difficult, support hard to find and isolation abounds.

Esmeralda, Quasimodo, Fleur de Lys, Frolo, autant de noms qui résonnent au-delà des siècles. Sans cesse incarnés sous toutes les formes possibles, les personnages de Victor Hugo appartiennent au patrimoine littéraire mondial.

The Man Who Laughs (“L’Homme qui Rit”) was called by its author “A Romance of English History,” and was written during the period Hugo spent in exile in Guernsey. Like The Toilers of the Sea, its immediate predecessor, the main theme of the story is human heroism, confronted with the superhuman tyranny of blind chance. As a passionate cry on behalf of the tortured and deformed, and the despised and oppressed of the world, The Man Who Laughs is irresistible.

Ne "I Miserabili" Victor Hugo narra con assoluta sensibilità ed estrema modernità la solitudine dell'uomo, il contrasto tra ceti sociali, ma anche la redenzione attraverso la rivolta e l'amore. Il romanzo, dal ritmo incalzante, magistrale e irripetibile per l'autenticità delle emozioni e per la complessità della trama narrativa, viene qui tradotto ad alta voce da un unico narratore, Moro Silo, che con la sua più che trentennale esperienza di lettore, riesce a cogliere l'enorme quantità di significati presenti nel libro nel massimo rispetto dello stile unico e originale dell'autore, del suo contesto storico-culturale e filologico.

In the grotesque bell-ringer Quasimodo, Victor Hugo created one of the most vivid characters in classic fiction. Quasimodo's doomed love for the beautiful gypsy girl Esmeralda is an example of the traditional love theme of beauty and the beast. Yet, set against the massive background of Notre Dame de Paris and interwoven with the sacred and secular life of medieval France, it takes on a larger perspective.

A mad priest, a vagabond playwright, a social-climbing soldier, and a deformed bell-ringer—all are captivated by a gypsy girl's beauty and charm. Two of them will betray her, but the others will remain loyal, even in the shadow of the gallows. These outlaws find sanctuary within the walls of medieval Paris' greatest monument, the grand Cathedral of Notre Dame.

In the Gothic towers of the cathedral of Notre-Dame - which has been subjected to decades of degradation and neglect - lives its bell ringer, Quasimodo. Persecuted as wicked and pilloried for his broken appearance, he’s shown kindness only by the alluring Esmeralda, an outsider herself, who fills Quasimodo’s heart with a hope and devotion beyond reason. When she falls victim to the lies of the vengeful and lustful Archdeacon Claude Frollo, only Quasimodo can save her from the gallows. In sanctuary, looming high above Paris, their fates entwine.

Quasimodo was born disfigured, hunchbacked and lame, and years spent ringing the bells of the Cathedral of Notre Dame have left him deaf, but also spared him the taunts of the cruel mobs of Paris. Now Quasimodo has fallen in love with the lovely Gypsy girl Esmeralda, the only person who ever showed pity on him - but she faces a death sentence, and only Quasimodo's pure spirit can save her. Or can he?

Quasimodo. Esmerelda. Frollo. Phoebus. Victor Hugo’s immortal tale of duty, desire and priestly revenge stands strongest on its own, and in this unabridged edition, it is more approachable than ever. Peer into the mind of the fiercely loyal Quasimodo. Discover the world through the sharp eyes of Esmerelda. Discover the privileged and calculating motivations of the ignominious Frollo - all amid the incredible backdrop of the Gothic Notre Dame cathedral.

THE LAUGHING MAN Another epic novel from the pen of Victor Hugo, perhaps the greatest romantic author of the 19th Century. The Laughing Man (L’Homme Qui Rit) is a gothic romance with satirical, political and spiritual overtones. Set in England after Cromwell’s failed republic and during the reign of Queen Anne (early 18thC) the story follows the fortunes of a small boy who has been cruelly and deliberately disfigured when he was just an infant.

Dive into the world of Les Misérables, a timeless tale of love, redemption, and the struggle for justice in 19th-century France. Follow the compelling journey of Jean Valjean, a former convict seeking to turn his life around while being relentlessly pursued by the determined Inspector Javert. This epic narrative weaves together the lives of unforgettable characters, exploring themes of sacrifice, revolution, and the enduring power of compassion.

Quasimodo, the isolated and disfigured bell-ringer of the great cathedral, lives hidden from the world—feared by the crowds below and bound in loyalty to the powerful archdeacon who raised him. But everything changes when he encounters Esmeralda, a free-spirited dancer whose kindness awakens a longing he has never known. As desire, jealousy, and power collide in the shadow of the cathedral, the lives of Quasimodo, Esmeralda, and those around them spiral toward a tragic reckoning. In a city ruled by appearances and authority, compassion may be the rarest—and most dangerous—virtue of all.

Step into a world of societal upheaval and personal redemption, where the struggle for justice and the quest for compassion intertwine against the backdrop of 19th-century France. This podcast explores the weighty themes of inequality and moral duty, capturing the essence of human resilience and transformation. Each week, tune in to discover a fresh complete audiobook from our rotating collection, offering diverse perspectives and storytelling styles that span across time periods. It's an opportunity for listeners to gain insight, satisfy curiosity, and perhaps find a momentary escape through ...

Sur fond des troubles du XIXe siècle en France, Les Misérables retrace la vie de Jean Valjean, un ancien détenu qui lutte pour se reconstruire dans un monde qui refuse d’oublier son passé. Poursuivi sans relâche par l’inspecteur Javert, rigide et impitoyable, le parcours de Jean Valjean devient un combat moral entre la miséricorde et la loi, la rédemption et le châtiment.

The Ultimate Classics Collection: Volume Four is the fourth instalment of our wide-ranging classic collections. Volume Four features 12 timeless works that largely focuses on the greats of American and British literature, with novels from Charles Dickens, Edith Wharton, Thomas Hardy, Victor Hugo, and others. Read by a cast of incredible narrators including Miranda Raison, Pearl Mackie, Adam Sims, David Rintoul, and more, this is a chance to expand your listening with some of the greatest authors of all time.