Robert Bly once said of a poem by Wallace Stevens that "it was as bad a poem as it is possible for a genius to write." I thought of that when reading this book. After Les Miserables and Notre Dame de Paris, it's hard to imagine that this work flowed from the same pen. There are flashes of the human

3 1/2 stars. Political intrigue, dynastic messiness, worker uprisings, and a bandit in Hugo's first novel, written at 17 (and you can tell).

Even though this is Hugo's first novel - written in his early twenties -, I could recognize some of his features. His strong fascination and fight for justice shimmers through very clearly. The villain may be a blood thirsty monster, but at least, in contrary to the nobleman conspirators, he is sinc

Le premier roman de Victor Hugo, écrit quand il avait tout juste une vingtaine d’années, ne manque sans doute pas de panache ni d’ambition. Ses personnages sont haut en couleur, mais le récit ne m’a pas emporté, notamment en raison d’un style trop théâtral, avec des dialogues grandiloquents et des q

"¡Oh!, ¿No conoces, entonces, a ese Han, ese bandido infernal? ¿Sabes a qué monstruo vas a perseguir? ¿Sabes que acaudilla a todas las potencias de las tinieblas? ¿Qué derriba montañas sobre las ciudades? ¿Qué su paso hace que se hundan las cavernas subterráneas? ¿Qué su soplo apaga los fanales en l

سبق فى تعليقى على أعمال هيجو أن قلت أن أحداث الرواية لدى هيجو هى أكثر تعقيدا من شخصياته - وهذا لا يتعارض مع كونه يضع شخصياته بوضوح - فنجده يغرق فى تشابك الأحداث ويتمسك بوحدة التأثيرات تلك التأثيرات الخفية التى لا تدركها العقول مباشرة أو هى لا تدركها على الإطلاق فأغلب الأحداث والشخصيات يؤثر كل منها ف

(review in English below)

3,5*

Inesperadamente, gostei bastante de ler esta história de aventuras, escrita por um muito jovem Victor Hugo.

Gostei especialmente da caracterização dos personagens - e são muitos!

A história parece quase destinada a ser representada, fazendo lembrar uma peça de Shakespeare,

Hugo's first novel shows scant traces of the brilliance to come but it's a ripping tale of adventure and intrigue with a monstrous villain, the author's first monster, though hardly a sympathetic one. Many of the chapters are made up almost entirely of conversations, which makes me wonder if the nov

What a great read!
I remember reading "Hunchback from Notre Dame" and giving up from boredom after 52nd page of scenery descriptions...
Now given I was 15, so maybe not the best age to read a classic like that but I has spoiled Victor Hugo for me since then.
Now 2 decades later I find I enjoy Hugo imm

J'ai trouvé ce livre pas mal ennuyant. C'est une des premières oeuvres de Victor Hugoet je peux dire que son style n'était pas encore au point. Par moment, il y a des flashs de son génie mais en général c'est pas très bon. J'ai parfois eu beaucoup de difficulté à suivre l'histoire. Dans le positif,