Misérables, Les, is a famous historical novel by the French author Victor Hugo. The novel was published in 1862 and became an immediate sensation. Its title means The Miserable Ones. The long work protests social injustice and reflects Hugo’s sympathy for the abused and downtrodden.
Les Misérables is a vast panorama of French life from 1815 to 1833. Its central character is Jean Valjean, an honest peasant who goes to prison for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister’s starving family. His sentence was 5 years at hard labor but is extended to 19 years after several failed attempts to escape. The story begins when Valjean is released in 1815 as a hardened victim of the penal system. A provincial bishop befriends the former prisoner, and his kindness changes Valjean’s life. Valjean takes a new name and becomes a successful factory owner and mayor of a northern French town.
Shortly after his release, Valjean had impulsively committed a second theft. Eight years later, he is still stalked for the crime by the merciless and relentless police inspector Javert. Valjean eventually is returned to prison but escapes. He helps a poor young woman named Fantine and becomes the guardian of her daughter, Cosette, rescuing the child from an evil family after Fantine’s death. Valjean struggles to lead an honest, useful life. He eventually sacrifices himself for the sake of Cosette and her husband, Marius, though he dies content in the company of those he saved and loved. The novel reflects Hugo’s faith in the individual’s power of self-determination against overwhelming odds.
The novel is crowded with characters and incidents, such as a vivid portrayal of an unsuccessful student revolt in 1832. One famous scene describes how Valjean rescues Marius during the revolt and flees through the sewers of Paris. Hugo also included within the novel an essay on the Battle of Waterloo, which resulted in the final defeat of Napoleon I in 1815.
Les Misérables has been filmed several times. The best-known version, released in 1935, starred Fredric March as Valjean and Charles Laughton as Inspector Javert. The story was also adapted into a long-running musical drama by French composer Claude-Michel Schönberg and French author Alain Boublil, among others. It has been playing in London since 1985 and played in New York City from 1987 to 2003.
See also Hugo, Victor.
