The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo

Hidden deep within the confines of Notre Dame, Quasimodo lives in solitude, shunned by the outside world because of his hideous appearance. His only joy is the appearance of a woman by the name of Esmerelda who takes pity on him because of his circumstances. Esmerelda, after attracting unwanted attention from members of the Church finds herself in a battle for her life, and seemingly only Quasimodo, the man she has taken pity on can save her.A mad priest, a vagabond playwright, a social-climbing soldier, and a deformed bell-ringer all are captivated by a gypsy girl's beauty and charm. Two of them will betray her, but the others will remain loyal, even in the shadow of the gallows. These outlaws find sanctuary within the walls of medieval Paris' greatest monument, the grand Cathedral of Notre Dame."What a beautiful thing Notre-Dame is!" declared Gustave Flaubert of Victor Hugo's 1837 novel. Originally published as Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris), it was conceived as a story of the cathedral itself, which functioned as the passionate heart of fifteenth-century city life. But Hugo's human drama rivals the Gothic masterpiece for dominance. Drawn with humor and compassion, his characters endure, both in literary history and in readers' imaginations: Frollo, the sinister archdeacon; Quasimodo, the hideous hunchback; and the enchanting outcast, Esmeralda.

Victor Hugo was a French poet and novelist who, after training as a lawyer, embarked on the literary career. He became one of the most important French Romantic poets, novelists and dramatists of his time, having assembled a massive body of work while living in Paris, Brussels and the Channel Islands. Hugo died on May 22, 1885, in Paris.