Jean Valjean (34)

"He is not the man you seek; I am. I am Jean Valjean."

The following books will introduce you to Jean Valjean, who said these words in Hugo's Les Misérables.

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Hugo, Victor. Les Misérables (L. Fahnestock and N. MacAfee, Trans., based on Wilbour). New York: New American Library/Penguin USA, 1987.
- Enjoy this inspiring story in the best unabridged translation available. Hugo's complex insights into people and his flawless plotting make this classic a page-turner in spite of its length.
Brombert, Victor. Victor Hugo and the Visionary Novel. Harvard University Press, 1984.
- Illuminating essays on Hugo's novels by a noted Hugo scholar.
Vargas Llosa, Mario. The Temptation of the Impossible: Victor Hugo and Les Misérables (John King, Trans.). Princeton University Press, 2007. (Original work 2004)
- Vargas Llosa is at his critical best in this brilliant rejoinder to Alphonse Lamartine's criticism of Hugo's idealism--particularly in Jean Valjean, a character inspiring an impossible standard of nobility of spirit. Vargas Llosa reaffirms Hugo's creation as a seductive "temptation" to strive for the good in reality.
Les Miserables: The 10th Anniversary Dream Cast in Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall (1995). [DVD] BBC Warner, 2008.
- The "Dream Cast" 10th anniversary performance in London's Royal Albert Hall, starring Colm Wilkinson, Philip Quast, and Lea Salonga. Capped off by the finale with 17 international Jean Valjeans.