Salon littéraire: Le Dernier Jour d'un condamné et Claude Gueux de Victor Hugo

The Book

Le Dernier Jour d'un condamné is a novella recounting the thoughts of a man condemned to die. Victor Hugo wrote it in1829 against the death penalty.
Claude Gueux is a short story first published in 1834 and based on a true story.
We follow Claude Gueux,, a poor Parisian worker who is forced to steal in order to survive. He is caught and ends up in prison, where a series of events lead him to commit a terrible crime, for which he is sentenced to death.

Both short stories are representative of Victor Hugo's social engagement and literary predilection subjects : education, criminal justice and social misery.

The Author

Considered to be one of the greatest French writers of all time, Victor Hugo (1802-1885) is known for his Romantic poetry and dramatic work and his engaged novels such as  Notre-Dame (1831) and Les Misérables (1862). He also served in politics as both deputy and senator.

 His work touched upon most of the political and social issues and the artistic trends of his time, which established him as a national hero.

Victor Hugo died on 22 May 1885, aged 83. He was given a state funeral in the Panthéon of Paris, which was attended by over 2 million people, the largest in French history.

Where to find a copy?

French Version: 

•  Le Dernier Jour d'un Condamné ; Claude Gueux on Amazon: Paperback, Kindle.
•  Le Dernier Jour d'un Condamné ; Claude Gueux on Elliot Book Bay Store.

English Version:

• on Amazon