The Mysteries of Paris
-
- $22.99
-
- $22.99
Publisher Description
The first new translation in over a century of the brilliant epic novel that inspired Les Misérables
Sensational, engrossing, and heartbreaking, The Mysteries of Paris is doubtless one of the most entertaining and influential works to emerge from the nineteenth century. It was one of France’s first serial novels, and for sixteen months, Parisians rushed in droves to the newsstands each week for the latest installment. Eugène Sue’s intricate melodrama unfolds around a Paris where, despite the gulf between them, the fortunes of the rich and poor are inextricably tangled. The suspenseful story of Rodolphe, a magnetic hero of noble heart and shadowy origins, was spun out over 150 issues—garnering wild popularity, influencing political change, and inspiring a raft of successors, including Les Misérables and The Count of Monte Cristo. At long last, this lively translation makes the riveting drama of Sue’s classic available to a new century of readers.
For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Initially serialized in the Journal des D bats from June 1842 to October 1843, this enormous novel saved a magazine, spawned a literary subgenre (fictional expos s of the seedier side of city life), expanded general readership across classes, served as inspiration for Les Mis rables, influenced the development of The Count of Monte Cristo, and changed the life of its author, who went from being a writer of seafaring tales to a becoming a genuine crusader for social reform. Sue's hero and heroine, Rodolphe and Fleur-de-Marie (aka Songbird), make their way through a plot that spins around disguises, mistaken identities, murders, breathtaking cruelty, prostitution, exploitation of the poor, domestic violence, starvation, sumptuous feasts, riotous revelry, noble love, and saintly piety. The book's main theme is redemption and the power of kindness to change lives, though readers shouldn't expect the wit and style of Dickens. Still, lovers of cultural, literary, and fashion history (Sue describes every dress in painstaking detail) should dive into this dense text with an eager, open mind.