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During a snowstorm, a young homeless boy rescues an infant whose mother has frozen to death. Desperate for shelter, they join a carnival run by a man named Ursus. Gwynplaine, the boy, left with a perpetual grin from a mysterious disfigurement, soon becomes a main attraction at their shows. The Man Who Laughs is a novel by Victor Hugo.

The History of a Crime (1877) is a book-length essay by Victor Hugo. While Hugo is famous today for his status as a leading French poet and novelist of the nineteenth century, he was also a gifted historian and memoirist who served on the National Assembly of the Second Republic. Following the coup d'état of Napoleon III in 1851, Hugo was among the insurrectionists who revolted against military forces on the streets of Paris. Despite their eff...

William Shakespeare (1864) is an experimental biography by Victor Hugo. Written while the poet was living in exile on the island of Guernsey, William Shakespeare was doomed to fail at its conception. Condemned by critics who expected Hugo to focus on the works of the Elizabethan playwright, William Shakespeare is in reality a sweeping biography of literature itself, a touching tribute to the spirit of creativity which defines humanity's life o...

Toilers of the Sea (1866) is a novel by Victor Hugo. Written while Hugo was living in exile on the island of Guernsey, Toilers of the Sea is a story of adventure that expresses the everyday struggles of a fool in love while capturing the changes wrought by political and economic revolution in Europe. "Gilliatt lived in the parish of St. Sampson. He was not liked by his neighbours, and there were reasons for that fact." Viewed as an outsider by...

At the height of the student revolt, Valjean arrives at the barricade and saves multiple lives including Marius, who is still eager to find Cosette. Despite his family and Valjean's reservations, Marius is committed to marrying her. Jean Valjean joins the revolt and finds the streets in disarray. He locates Marius who has been badly injured but is still alive. While attempting to bring Marius to safety, Valjean encounters a couple of dangerous...

Jean Valjean and Cosette’s past catches up with them with the arrival of a former foe. Les Misérables Volume Three: Marius, by Victor Hugo, introduces a spirited young man who crosses paths with both Cosette and the relentless innkeepers. A sudden reunion threatens Valjean’s attempt at a life of freedom.

The Last Day of a Condemned Man (1829) is a short novel by Victor Hugo. Having witnessed several executions by guillotine as a young man, Hugo devoted himself in his art and political life to opposing the death penalty in France. Praised by Dostoevsky as "absolutely the most real and truthful of everything that Hugo wrote, " The Last Day of a Condemned Man is a powerful story from an author who defined nineteenth century French literature. If ...

The Memoirs of Victor Hugo (1899) is an autobiographical work by Victor Hugo. Assembled from diaries and manuscripts left behind by the author following his death in 1895, the Memoirs are as much a record of a life as they are a portrait of nineteenth century France. Told from the perspective of a supremely gifted artist whose command of language is matched only by his commitment to morality, The Memoirs of Victor Hugo is an invaluable text fo...

Ninety-Three (1874) is the final novel of Victor Hugo. As a work of historical fiction, the story is set during the period of conflict between the newly formed French Republic and the Royalists who sought to reverse the gains of the revolution. Praised for its morality and honest depiction of the horrors of war, Ninety-Three influenced such wide-ranging political thinkers as Joseph Stalin and Ayn Rand. "The soldiers forced cautiously. Everythi...

During a snowstorm, a young homeless boy rescues an infant whose mother has frozen to death. Desperate for shelter, they join a carnival run by a man named Ursus. Gwynplaine, the boy, left with a perpetual grin from a mysterious disfigurement, soon becomes a main attraction at their shows. The Man Who Laughs is a novel by Victor Hugo.

On December 2nd, 1851, the anniversary of his uncle Napoleon Bonaparte’s coronation and victory at Austerlitz, the coup d’état of Napoleon III took place. Hugo, a National Assembly member, took to the streets of Paris with thousands of insurrectionaries, many of whom were beaten, arrested, and murdered for their actions. The History of a Crime is an essay by Victor Hugo.

Marius and Cosette attempt to sustain their relationship in the midst of a political upheaval. Les Misérables Volume Four: The Idyll in the Rue Plumet and the Epic in the Rue St. Denis, by Victor Hugo, highlights a violent confrontation between the young citizens of Paris and the French establishment.

In nineteenth-century France, a former convict and a single mother struggle to escape their pasts. Les Misérables Volume One: Fantine, by Victor Hugo, is a heart wrenching tale about two desperate people seeking a better life. Despite good intentions, they are both targeted by an ambitious and ruthless police inspector.

Jean Valjean finds Fantine’s orphan daughter and attempts to rescue her from a life of servitude. Les Misérables Volume Two: Cosette, by Victor Hugo, follows the unlikely hero as he seeks a new life and opportunity. After escaping prison and certain death, Valjean works to fulfill an old promise.

Both a record of a tumultuous century and a portrait of a life devoted to literature and political freedom, The Memoirs of Victor Hugo is a posthumously assembled work by one of France’s greatest artists. From a childhood on the move, to adulthood in Paris, to exile in Guernsey, Hugo’s life becomes a conduit for immense cultural change.

Inspired by his son’s decision to translate the works of Shakespeare, Hugo wrote this utterly beguiling tribute to the English poet and playwright, which doubles as a portrait of his own life and literary work. Devoted to the spirit of creativity which courses through humanity and shines in a chosen few, William Shakespeare is an experimental biography by Victor Hugo.

In the nineteenth century, the world is on the brink of changing forever. The Napoleonic Wars have upended European politics and the Industrial Revolution is reshaping humanity’s relationship with the natural world. On the island of Guernsey, a young misfit endangers his life to win the love of a local heiress. Toilers of the Sea is a novel by Victor Hugo.

Sentenced to death by guillotine, a condemned man reflects on his life and emotions while waiting in a cramped prison cell. Although his crime and identity are never revealed, his humanity cries out for mercy. Intended as a fictional expression of the author’s opposition to the death penalty, The Last Day of a Condemned Man is a novel by Victor Hugo.

Fighting between the newly formed French Republic and bands of Royalists has torn the countryside apart. Along the coast of Brittany, a formidable force led by the Marquis de Lantenac is starting to make gains against the Blues, threatening the Revolution itself. Sent by Danton and Robespierre, Gauvain must defeat Lantenac, a distant relative. Ninety-Three is a novel by Victor Hugo.

Jean Valjean confronts his past, while Cosette embraces the future. Les Misérables Volume Five: Jean Valjean, by Victor Hugo, is a dramatic conclusion to the hero’s journey. Valjean comes face-to-face with Inspector Javert and is forced to make a lifechanging decision. Meanwhile, Cosette and Marius make plans to be together.