Cover of Les Misérables

Les Misérables

Victor Hugo, 1862

French novelist, 1802–1885.

Les Misérables is an 1862 novel by Victor Hugo, translated from French.

In historical fiction

On 2 of the 10 lists it was eligible for.

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At a glance

Author
Victor Hugo
First published
1862
Length
1456 pages (UK paperback)
Original language
Translated from French
Genre
Historical fiction, Political, Class and society, Religion and faith

Is Les Misérables worth reading?

2 of the 10 best-of lists it could have made include it: 100 novels everyone should read (The Telegraph) and Readers' top 100 novels (The Guardian).

ListPlaceOriginal
100 novels everyone should read (The Telegraph, 2009)No. 36See the list
Readers' top 100 novels (The Guardian, 2026)No. 24See the list

Best edition of Les Misérables

The edition we link to is the Penguin Classics paperback (2015), 1456 pages, translated by Christine Donougher.

Publisher
Penguin Classics (paperback, 2015)
Pages
1456
Translator
Christine Donougher
ISBN
9780241248744

How critics and readers rate Les Misérables

Critics rate it most highly: it earned 25% of the points available on critics' lists, against 18% on readers' and booksellers' lists.

Critics
25%
Prizes
Not eligible for any of these lists yet
Readers and booksellers
18%

Share of the available points it earned on each kind of list it was eligible for. How the scores work

Books like Les Misérables

If you liked Les Misérables, try War and Peace, Heart of Darkness or Tess of the d'Urbervilles.

Lists used on this page