The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

Victor Marie Hugo 1802–1885 – a French writer, poet, playwright, and one of the most significant representatives of French Romanticism. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame 1831 – the first historical novel in the French language, written by Hugo at a time when the cathedral was in complete decay and the authorities of Paris were deciding its fate: to demolish the monument of medieval architecture or to reconstruct it. The publication of the novel and its stunning success allowed the cathedral to remain in its original form and to begin the reconstruction of the building. The action of the book unfolds in the 15th century. A young girl has her little daughter Esmeralda kidnapped by a gypsy, who replaces her with a frightful deformed child that the girl left at the gates of the cathedral. Quasimodo – as the foundling was named – was taken in for upbringing by a priest, while Esmeralda grew up among the gypsies. 16 years later, the life paths of the heroes intersect, but this does not bring them happiness. Hugo's novel is about great feelings: love and jealousy, hope and despair, betrayal and loyalty, which the eternally beautiful Paris shares with the heroes.