The Novel of the Century, by David Bellos
You know that here at the Book Office, we love to make you discover books and authors you might not have heard of yet. Well today, we are going to talk classics, with David Bello's new novel, entitled The Novel of the Century.
'What does this enigmatic title refers to?' you ask. Les Misérables, of course! And who better than David Bellos, renowned translator and author (his translating work notably earned him the Man Booker International Translator's Award, and he won the prestigious Goncourt Prize for Best Biography with George Perec: A Life In Words, in 1994), to show the reader why Victor Hugo truly accomplished a miracle by writing his masterpiece?
Penguin, which publishes The Novel of the Century, describes Bellos' book in these words:
"There has never been a book like it. It is the most widely read and frequently adapted story of all time, on stage and on film. But why is Les Misérables the novel of the century? David Bellos's remarkable new book brings to life the extraordinary story of how Hugo managed to write his epic novel despite a revolution, a coup d'état and political exile; how he pulled off the deal of the century to get it published, and set it on course to become the novel that epitomizes the grand sweep of history in the nineteenth century. Packed full of information about the background and design of Les Misérables, this biography of a masterpiece nonetheless insists that the moral and social message of Hugo's ever-popular novel is just as important for our century as it was for its own. The Novel of the Century is a book as rich, remarkable and long-lasting as the novel at its heart."
It so happened that last February, David Bellos was the guest of honor of the famous Parisian bookshop Shakespeare and Company, to talk about The Novel of the Century - and our friends from Shakespeare and Co had the wonderful idea of recording the event. Do check it out here!
Now, if you want to meet David Bellos in person, here is your chance: he will be at the French Institute in London on May 11th, 2017, for the Beyond Words Festival! Don't wait any longer to book your tickets: http://beyondwordslitfest.co.uk/david-bellos-on-hugo-the-novel-of-the-century/