Notre-Dame de Paris

Victor Hugo, John Sturrock

$22.99

Paperback

In stock
Ready to ship

QTY:

French

Penguin Classics
01 December 1978

Hugo's Gothic tale of Quasimodo

In the vaulted Gothic towers of Notre-Dame lives Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bellringer. Mocked and shunned for his appearance, he is pitied only by Esmerelda, a beautiful gypsy dancer to whom he becomes completely devoted. Esmerelda, however, has also attracted the attention of the sinister archdeacon Claude Frollo, and when she rejects his lecherous approaches, Frollo hatches a plot to destoy her that only Quasimodo can prevent. Victor Hugo's sensational, evocative novel brings life to the medieval Paris he loved, and mourns its passing in one of the greatest historical romances of the nineteenth century.

By: Victor Hugo
Translated by: John Sturrock
Imprint: Penguin Classics
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 35mm
Weight: 500g
ISBN: 9780140443530
ISBN 10: 0140443533
Pages: 512
Publication Date: 01 December 1978
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Victor Hugo (1802 - 85) was a forceful and prolific writer. He became a committed social democrat and during the Second Empire of Napoleon III was exiled from France, living in the Channel Islands. His body is now buried in the Pantheon. John Sturrock has translated many Penguin Classics, including Proust. He has written on Jorge Luis Borges and Structuralism.

Reviews for Notre-Dame de Paris

A storybook retelling of Hugo's classic of the lonely bellringer and his hopeless love for the beautiful gypsy girl, Esmerelda, whom he rescues from hanging and the evil archdeacon Dom Frollo and reunites with her mother. While remaining relatively faithful to the original, this version from Wynne-Jones (The Maestro, 1996, etc.) is always competent, but never compelling. Slavin creates lovely illustrations, but his pale washes leave even the most festive scenes sedate. The volume lacks power or emotion; adults seeking an alternative - any alternative - to the Disney film may find that this one hardly competes for the hearts and minds of the target audience. (Kirkus Reviews)