Showing results by author "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...

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.

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.

Immerse yourself in a world where the struggles for justice, love, and redemption resonate through the ages, as inspired by Les Misérables. This podcast invites you to explore a rotating collection of audiobooks that echo the profound themes of resilience and moral complexity found in Victor Hugo’s classic. Each episode presents a new complete audiobook, showcasing the tales of those who fight against societal injustices and seek to forge a better path in life. From the heart-wrenching sacrifices of the downtrodden to the fervent hopes of revolutionaries, listeners are encouraged to engage ...

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.

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...

A sweeping epic set in nineteenth-century France on the cusp of revolution, Les Misérables charts the entwined lives of a rich cast of characters. Hugo begins with the story of Jean Valjean, a former convict seeking redemption after nineteen years in prison. Pursued relentlessly by Inspector Javert, Valjean’s narrative takes the reader on a poignant journey of poverty, injustice and hope – as seen with the tragic tale of Valjean’s former employee Fantine, her daughter, Cosette, and the idealistic Marius.

Not Born Yesterday explains how we decide who we can trust and what we should believe - and argues that we're pretty good at making these decisions. In this lively and provocative book, Hugo Mercier demonstrates how virtually all attempts at mass persuasion - whether by religious leaders, politicians, or advertisers - fail miserably.

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.

Un enregistrement exceptionnel : les sept volumes des Misérables, un des plus grands romans de la littérature française, enfin enregistrés en livres audio et réunis en 10 CD. L'intégrale des Misérables est également disponible en téléchargement...

Reason, we are told, is what makes us human, the source of our knowledge and wisdom. If reason is so useful, why didn't it also evolve in other animals? If reason is that reliable, why do we produce so much thoroughly reasoned nonsense? In their groundbreaking account of the evolution and workings of reason, Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber set out to solve this double enigma.

Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of 19th-century France as you explore the profound themes and stirring narratives woven by Victor Hugo. This podcast delves into the complexities of love, justice, and the human spirit, reflecting the struggles and triumphs of society during a time of great change. Each episode features a new complete audiobook, inviting you to experience the depth of Hugo's storytelling through a rotating collection of his literary masterpieces. This is not a single story but a series of unique explorations that shed light on the intricacies of the human condition and the...

Considered to be French novelist Victor Hugo's masterpiece, Les Miserables, which was published in 1862, is a sprawling historical and philosophical epic that covers from 1815 through the Paris Uprising in 1832. Notable for its many subplots and digressions from the main storyline, the novel's stated aim is a progress from evil to good, from injustice to justice, from falsehood to truth, which can be seen most clearly in the story of the central character Jean Valjean, an ex-convict who struggles to shake the sins of his past and become a good man.

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.

Les Miserables is set in Paris after the French Revolution. In the sewers and back streets 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 heartbroken Fantine, and 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.

Murder comes in two familiar forms. Whether as a crime of passion with high emotions or a cold dispassionate plot to take life in order to gain in some way, the act strikes us all as somehow inhuman. Beneath us as civilised beings. But however we cloak our animal instincts the need to remove a human being and gain relief from abuse or gain from money, the term is just the same – MURDER. Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, J M Barrie, W W Jacobs and many others bring their literary heft to bear in as calculating a way as any killer could.

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.

Awaiting execution and counting down the final hours of his life, an unnamed prisoner records his thoughts, fears, and fading hopes with raw honesty. As the walls close in around him, he confronts mortality, justice, and the human cost of punishment. Powerful, intimate, and deeply moving, The Last Day of a Condemned Man is both a gripping psychological portrait and a timeless plea for compassion, challenging readers to reflect on the meaning of justice and the value of human life.

Faut-il manger pour vivre, ou vivre pour manger ? La madeleine de Proust est-elle vraiment celle que l'on croit ? La trompe d'éléphant est-elle comestible ? Vous trouverez réponse à ces épineuses questions, et à bien d'autres, dans notre sélection de 19 textes cultes commentés Une balade littéraire divertissante et instructive à travers les textes de Brillat-Savarin, La Bruyère, Théophile Gauthier, Proust, Zola, Rabelais, Flaubert, Balzac, Maupassant, Molière, Hugo, Huysmans, Pétrone, Daudet, Madame de Sévigné et des Frères Goncourt. Bon appétit ! Textes commentés par Sylvain Trias.

THE MAJOR NEW BIOGRAPHY OF THE LATE QUEEN: AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER. 'Impeccably researched . . . Hugo Vickers offers us his piercing insights into the innermost workings of the Royal family' - DAILY MAIL 'His knowledge of royalty and aristocracy is encyclopaedic . . . and his deep...