The Man Who Laughs

Sep 02, 2012 Bettie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 3 Ms

Shelves: film-only, 3m-bookshelf-challenge, autumn-2012, revenge, historical-fiction, published-1869, victorian, classic, teh-brillianz, adventure, dog-steals-the-show, britain-england, london

http://youtu.be/QsLQcOV2YeU

This is a silent film from a rather macabre historical fiction novella and the action opens on the non-action of bad mad (for purposes of this story) King James II asleep in his four-poster bed surrounded by lines of statues of saints behind which are secret passages and *quivers/quakes* the lair of Barkilphedro.

The story in a nutshell: When a proud noble refuses to kiss the hand of the despotic King James in 1690, he is cruelly executed and his son surgically disfigur...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Trish rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book back when I read it for a college class assignment in my early twenties and recently re-read it again when I discovered there was a French language movie version being produced for release in 2012.

There are synopsis' in the other reviews, so I won't rehash. I loved the layers of the story, the characters, and the masterful way Hugo threw out plot threads that you had no idea were important - until he ties them together (the (long and rambling) list of peers on Ursus' board, th...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Corley rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. On a cold January night in 1690, a ten-year-old boy is abandoned near the coast of Portland in England, left for dead by the group whom he has been residing with; Comprachicos, sellers and buyers of intentionally deformed children. The young child begins to wander the night, battered by a snowstorm and hindered by naked feet, close to death more often than he is aware of. Eventually, his wandering leads him to the body of a woman, frozen to death by the snow, a small infant on her breast crying...more On a cold January night in 1690, a ten-year-old boy is abandoned near the coast of Portland in England, left for dead by the group whom he has been residing with; Comprachicos, sellers and buyers of intentionally deformed children. The young child begins to wander the night, battered by a snowstorm and hindered by naked feet, close to death more often than he is aware of. Eventually, his wandering leads him to the body of a woman, frozen to death by the snow, a small infant on her breast crying out into the dark winter, the fragile wail calling the boy to the baby. Not even deliberating, he takes the baby girl in his arms and carries her with him, shedding his own warm jacket to keep the biting chill off her skin; thus he continues, the infant wrapped in his arms and him searching for any sign of civilization. Upon entering a town and finding no one will open their door, he comes upon the tiny caravan of the mountebank Ursus and his pet wolf, Homo, where the children are with grudging tenderness taken in by the old man, given food and clothing and a place to sleep. It is upon the following morning that Ursus makes two startling discoveries: the boy, called Gwynplaine, has a face mutilated into a Glasgow grin, to the effect that he is always outwardly laughing, and the baby, christened Dea, is blind due to vengeful night of her mother's death and her salvation by Gwynplaine.

Fifteen years later, both the boy and girl are still living with Ursus and Homo, having been adopted by the man, and now make a living from performing plays and the effect of Gwynplaine's mask of a face, which earns him the title "The Laughing Man". However, both Gwynplaine and Dea are filled with happiness, due to the fact that they have both fallen deeply and forever in love with the other, Dea being able to see the real beauty of Gwynplaine and him so devoted to the light that is her. "The Laughing Man" soon spreads all over the streets of London, attracting both good and bad attention, and ultimately bringing upon the happy family the shocking assumed arrest of Gwynpliane. But what is his crime?

Does he even have one?

This book has so many emotions coursing through it, especially within Gwynplaine, in whom we see adoration and devotion, kindness, innocence, want and lust, the yearning for greater things, extreme pain and sorrow, temptation, and ultimately, the undying love for Dea that brings him back into the world he knows and wouldn't trade for any title. It's a book focusing on the good and bad qualities of man, all shown within Gwynplaine, that prove us human; kindness and cruelty, love and hate, light and dark.

Ultimately, I cried. A pretty good bit, actually.

The main reason I wanted to read this book was because of the relationship between Gwynplaine and Dea; their love and life together, and eventually, both of their deaths. I adore his devotion to her and her adoration of him, and their innocence is just so sweet and pure that it's extremely beautiful, she who's blind yet able to see beyond the deformed face of the man she loves, seeing his soul and true beauty. I had read somewhere that the end was heartbreaking, and I had a feeling that Dea would die (just from interpretation and from a certain name of one of the last chapters), but that didn't soften the blow of her death any less, and I couldn't believe the way she died: so shocked with happiness from seeing Gwynplaine alive, and still ailed with the effects of already being on the brink of dying from missing him, that her heart finally fails and she dies. No! Gosh, I mean, they had finally just been reunited and it was so sweet! And Gwynplaine's reactions are so vivid and touching in these scenes; his tears and pleas for her to stay alive, and then his own suicide by walking off into the water and letting himself drown. It's strangely romantic; the classic love story, I guess you could say. Once I got into this, I began wondering if The Man Who Laughs would have sort of a Romeo and Juliet ending, and let me tell you, this is so much better than Shakespeare's work. On another subject, Ursus: the relationship between this man and the two children he saves is a strange thing at first; it begins with a harsh affection, then turns into a gruff love, and he comes to see both of them as his children. I wonder how, or if, he was able to cope with both of them dying. Another point of the story I was drawn to was the treatment Gwynplaine receives by everyone else, the people who laugh upon seeing his face and the nobles who scorn him, even though he is revealed to be one of their peers, showing just how cruel mankind can be to anything different.

Overall, my favorite thing about this story was the love between Gwynplaine and Dea, the monster and angel, and also the love their father has for them. It's definitely one I'll read again, a story that's filled with vivid imagery and powerful words, emotions, and characters.(less)

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Feb 16, 2009 Peter Namtvedt rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Peter by: Ayn Rand

The Man who Laughs

Never have I read a novel so beautifully constructed, lovingly constructed, with plots and sub-plots diverging and meeting repeatedly so masterfully, so surprising but at the same time, all parts seem so necessary.

The story deals a romantic time in England, with nobles, common people, and some people who belong in both of those worlds. A core group is the Comprachicos, a gypsy-like and multi-ethnic people who lived as mountebanks, poachers, smuggling, and who practiced mutilati...more The Man who Laughs

Never have I read a novel so beautifully constructed, lovingly constructed, with plots and sub-plots diverging and meeting repeatedly so masterfully, so surprising but at the same time, all parts seem so necessary.

The story deals a romantic time in England, with nobles, common people, and some people who belong in both of those worlds. A core group is the Comprachicos, a gypsy-like and multi-ethnic people who lived as mountebanks, poachers, smuggling, and who practiced mutilation, presumably to create entertainers, clowns, freaks.

The Comprachicos, after having been tolerated for a century, fall into disfavor and are hunted both in England and in France. One group of them is escaping by boat from the isthmus or island port of Portland. They leave a 10-year old child, scantily clad. The child wanders, somehow miraculously in onto the mainland. There he trudges barefoot through snow, looking for shelter and food, and before finding such, finds and picks up a small child who was trying to suckle at the breast of her frozen mother.

Through many an intrigue, through abandonment as a child, growing up “on the road”, through seemingly lost loves, adventures, found-again-love, and more, Gwynplain finally takes his proper place among lords.

He started out at age of two, being sold, having his ears stretched, his hair permanently colored, his nose flattened and his mouth made into an eternal laughing shape, with a near-frozen blind infant girl, is adopted by a peddler and showman, Ursus, who lives in a wagon with his friend, a wolf.

As the two waifs grow in years, the addition to his crew increases the income of Ursus, due to the angelic look and voice of the blind girl, Dea, and the uproarious “laughter” of the boy Gwynplain. Ursus decides to increase it further by taking his show to London. Some wealth begins to build, but their fortunes soon are threatened by a whirlwind of changes.

It is a shame that Victor Hugo has become so obscure, so hidden and neglected. This is definitely on my re-read list. I recommend it to all!

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Jan 20, 2013 Catherine Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars

Victor Hugo is one of my favorite authors, and I was not disappointed with this book. He manages to produce a plot so deftly woven that we are carried away with its current, and never fail to be abrupted when we land on the shore whose course was laid for us all through the story.

Somehow Hugo also manages to show us humans as the multi-dimensional things we are, responding banally to the storms and respits our souls encounter. We cannot help but despair when in trials, and think ourselves in hea...more

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May 10, 2010 Muhammad Khaled rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone ..

Shelves: i-own

رأى جوينبلان الدنيا بشكل مختلف .. رأى النور في ظلمات الفقر و الضياع .. ورأى الظلمات في نور القصور والثراء .. رأى جوينبلان النور في عمى (ضيا) .. ورأى الظلمات في جمال الدوقة الصارخ .. رأى كل شيء .. رأى جوينبلان تناقضات الدنيا .. رأى الضحك الصادق في وجوه دميمة مشوهه .. رأى التشوه في وجوه نبيلة بيضاء بضّه .. رأى جوينبلان لندن بقصورها الفارهه .. ورأى حواري الفقر و القشف .. رآني جوينبلان .. رآنا جوينبلان .. ومن فرط من رأى، لم يستطع ان يكمل الحياة .. مفضلاً التجوال بروحه مع روح ( ضيا ) .

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Jan 15, 2010 Eleanor Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, favorites

As is often the case with Victor Hugo's works, he often tends to discourage the reader towards the beginning of the novel with a long, drawn out description of seemingly mundane details, people, or circumstances. Then, just as one begins to yawn...there emerges a plot line that joins all these details into one and set the story in motion, captivating the reader infinitely. This is one of the few books I've read where this urge to throw oneself into the story stays throughout the whole novel.

The...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Arwen Spicer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Victor Hugo’s The Man Who Laughs is a good story poorly executed. Set in England c. 1700, the story revolves around the fortunes of a young man, Gwynplaine, who was surgically disfigured in infancy so that he appears always to be hideously laughing. Abandoned as a child by the Comprachicos (child-buyers) who mutilated him, Gwynplaine is wandering through the snow when he finds a baby in the arms of her dead mother. He rescues the baby, and the two of them are ultimately taken in by a kindly if v...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Noodamon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Il destino talvolta ci tende da bere un bicchiere di follia

Quei due capitoli preliminari non sai se considerarli parti di imballaggio da rimuovere o pezzi che serviranno a montare la storia. Mentre sei lì che valuti, ti ritrovi in alto mare con Ismaele e il vecchio Santiago che gareggiano a chi la racconta più grossa. Ma badate non parlano ne di una balena bianca ne di un pesce spada spolpato dagli squali, parlano di un’orca, e quest’orca non è un pesce ma un imbarcazione. Cento pagine di vortic...more Il destino talvolta ci tende da bere un bicchiere di follia

Quei due capitoli preliminari non sai se considerarli parti di imballaggio da rimuovere o pezzi che serviranno a montare la storia. Mentre sei lì che valuti, ti ritrovi in alto mare con Ismaele e il vecchio Santiago che gareggiano a chi la racconta più grossa. Ma badate non parlano ne di una balena bianca ne di un pesce spada spolpato dagli squali, parlano di un’orca, e quest’orca non è un pesce ma un imbarcazione. Cento pagine di vortici, bruma, marosi, flutti, beccheggio, raffiche, tempesta, scogli.. in un crescendo di accidenti che rischiano di diventare comici per l’accanimento con il quale si abbattono sull’orca. Poi a un certo punto leggi:

Il naufragio è l’ideale dell’impotenza. Essere vicini alla terra e non poterla raggiungere, galleggiare e non poter navigare, avere i piedi su qualcosa che sembra solido ed è fragile, essere pieni di vita e insieme pieni di morte, essere prigionieri della vastità, murati tra il cielo e l’oceano, avere sopra l’infinito come una segreta, intorno a se l’immensa evasione delle raffiche e delle onde ed essere prigionieri, incatenati, paralizzati, questa oppressione stupisce ed indigna…

Ma questo non è il naufragio… questa è la condizione umana.
E’ la svolta.
Quei due capitoli preliminari che eri indeciso se buttare nella spazzatura, si rivelano i supporti della storia che abbandona il mare per raggiungere la costa. Un grande romanzo è il libro d'istruzioni dell’anima. Ma questo è un grande romanzo? No, forse non lo è, però chi lo ha scritto è un grande scrittore. Nel mio personale elenco di sottolineature ne conto più di sessanta

Siamo tutti ciechi. L’avaro è cieco: vede l’oro ma non vede la ricchezza. Il prodigo è cieco: vede l’inizio ma non vede la fine. La donna vanitosa è cieca: non vede le proprie rughe. L’erudito è cieco: non vede la propria ignoranza. Il galantuomo è cieco: non vede il farabutto. Il farabutto è cieco: non vede Dio. Dio è cieco: il giorno in cui ha creato il mondo non ha visto il diavolo che ci metteva lo zampino. Io sono cieco parlo e non vedo che siete sordi.

Chi legge pensa, chi pensa ragiona. Non ragionare è un dovere: e anche una fortuna. Queste sono verità incontestabili su cui si regge la società.

Chi è soddisfatto è inesorabile. Per chi è sazio l’affamato non esiste. Chi sta bene ignora e si isola. Sulla soglia del loro paradiso come sulla soglia dell’inferno, bisogna scrivere: Lasciate ogni speranza voi che entrate.

La trama in questo romanzo è un accessorio: vi troverete improvvisamente faccia a faccia con la notte, corpo a corpo con lo scoglio, vi sentirete un topo interrogato dai gatti, soppeserete la solidità delle cose fragili, ascolterete l’eloquenza del vento.
Vi metto sull’avviso, sono settecento pagine. Lo scoraggiamento che ho provato all’inizio è stato inferiore solo all'appagamento che ho provato alla fine.

Leggetelo, ne vale la pena.

Due annotazioni finali: il titolo della commedia che viene messa in scena nel romanzo è Caos vinto. Mi vien da pensare che Sandro Veronesi si sia ispirato ad essa per il suo Caos calmo.
L’uomo che ride si chiama Gwyn-plane. Come si intitola l’ultimo romanzo di Baricco?

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Aug 18, 2012 Lenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not an easy read, but very rewarding...especially in politically charged times. I have no doubt Hugo would be accused of socialism if he spoke up in modern times. But really he is anti-nobility and royalty, and uses his characters to speak up for the common man, as well as subtle digs at the rich and sheltered lords of 18th century England.

It's the story of man who goes from one extreme to the other, and not by his choosing. He's an amazingly complex character, as are many of the supporting char...more

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May 08, 2011 Esther rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic, favorites, foreign

Superb. I took my time with this one, it's so chock-full of stunning scenes (Book Second, chapter 17 - exquisite), symbols, and absolute jewels for sentences - I really cannot say enough about how beautiful the writing is. Hugo has the tendency to rant - he goes on and on about things that seem peripheral - listing the pedigrees and holdings of lords, for one, or including Usus' speeches (which are rambling and at times incomprehensible - at least to less than brilliant me) - but. I. liked. this...more

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Apr 28, 2009 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-read-years-ago

I read this when I was still in high school, so it's been decades since I actually laid eyes on it. Wow, I am getting old.

Anyway, I read it mostly because the visual appearance of the Joker (of Batman fame) was based on Conrad Viedt's portrayal of Gwynplaine in the German silent film version of this book. Say that three times fast.

Gwynplaine, the main character, is purposely disfigured by a Gypsy tribe to make it look like he's always laughing. In time he is abandoned, and in his search for sh...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Lisetta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"L'ignoranza �� custode della virt��. Dove non ci sono prospettive, non ci sono ambizioni; l'ignorante �� immerso in una notte benfica, la quale sopprimendo lo sguardo, sopprime gli appetiti. Di qui l'innocenza.
Chi legge pensa, chi pensa ragiona. Non ragionare �� un dovere: ed �� anche la felicit��. Queste verit�� sono incontestabili. La societ�� vi sta seduta sopra."

Non ho terminato ancora la lettura di questo testo, ma questa frase vale pi�� di mille recensioni che alla fine avrei voluto scriv

...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Nina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Grozljivi roman Victorja Hugoja je na zgodovini temelječ roman, ki bralcu ponuja cel spekter doživljajev. Zgodba je zgodovinska, pogosto zelo podrobno opisujoča razmere nekega obdobja. Naracija je v veliki meri filozofska. Skoraj ni vrstice v knjigi, ki ne bi ponujala misli, vredne premisleka. To je tudi razlog (edini), da knjige ni mogoče prebrati na mah. Oboje se tesno prepleta z grozljivo zgodbo o dečku, nato mladeniču, ki je postal žrtev oblasti in morda resnične skupine ljudi, ki so otroke...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Wolfpabiru rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: france, favorites, preferiti-2012

Un bambino viene abbandonato su un molo da alcuni "Comprachicos".
Loro salpano verso la tempesta, custodi di un terribile segreto, lui verso la sua nuova vita.

Non è certo un libro che si legge facilmente, almeno nella prima parte.
Hugo lo riempie di nozioni storiche e scientifiche utili a contestualizzare i modi di vivere, il periodo storico, i personaggi e le differenze tra i ceti sociali, riferimenti a miti greci, filosofi e frasi in latino. Molte di queste nozioni richiedono una cultura che io...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Viktoriaf rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you ask me what is my favorite book of all time I will answer "The Man Who Laughs", V. Hugo.

I read this book in Russian, at age of 16, I guess. This book opened my eyes to other peoples' attitude. How people treat one another according to their status in society, how hard it is to be somebody, when your social status or some events label you for life.

This book taught me better that anyone or anything what a respect to a person is, regardless his appearance or social status.

Hugo in general i...more

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May 11, 2013 Ilenia Zodiaco rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nella postfazione al romanzo, Stevenson, da lucido narratore qual era, assume la parte del professore e bacchetta il caro Hugo, accusandolo di verbosità e scarsa verosomiglianza. Ha ragione. Hugo si dilunga, si infiamma su dialoghi impossibili, scene da visionario che farebbero mettere le mani nei capelli a qualsiasi amante del realismo a tutti i costi. Ma il severo maestro deve ammettere che Hugo, tra i grandi forse quello che ha sbagliato di più, è un genio. Un genio la cui colpa è forse l'ecc...more Nella postfazione al romanzo, Stevenson, da lucido narratore qual era, assume la parte del professore e bacchetta il caro Hugo, accusandolo di verbosità e scarsa verosomiglianza. Ha ragione. Hugo si dilunga, si infiamma su dialoghi impossibili, scene da visionario che farebbero mettere le mani nei capelli a qualsiasi amante del realismo a tutti i costi. Ma il severo maestro deve ammettere che Hugo, tra i grandi forse quello che ha sbagliato di più, è un genio. Un genio la cui colpa è forse l'eccessiva animosità, la strabordante fantasia che non gli permetteva di fermarsi dal far correre la penna.
L'uomo che ride è il secondo romanzo che leggo di quest'autore. Il secondo dopo i Miserabili. Il pregiudizio c'era. Non pensavo che sarebbe riuscito ad eguagliare il suo più celebre capolavoro. Invece l'ha quanto meno eguagliato. Questo romanzo è molto più cupo e terribile de i Miserabili. Non c'è una risoluzione dell'intreccio, non c'è pentimento, non c'è la giustizia letteraria. Non ci sono antagonisti leggendari ma vili, bassi, agenti dell'ombra e che nell'ombra rimarranno senza che il lettore possa darsi pace, sapendo almeno che qualcuno li abbia smascherati, anche se non puniti. Oscure maree inghiottono i personaggi, naufraghi, vagabondi, mostri deformi, cechi. "Il mare e la sorte si agitano sotto lo stesso soffio".
Ho sempre pensato che Hugo fosse prima poeta e drammaturgo e solo dopo narratore. Forse perché quello che mi spingeva a voltare pagina dopo pagina, incantata, erano i ritratti di questi meravigliosi titani che sono i protagonisti delle sue storie. Sì, perché l'intreccio de "L'Uomo che ride", sottraendo gli interminabili discorsi del misantropo-filosofo Ursus, durerebbe trecento pagine. Altro che romanzo d'appendice. Ma la bellezza di queste idee ambigue - che hanno braccia, gambe, volti, occhi - ci trasporta nell'universo tragico di Hugo. Un mondo mai così satirico (i pari d'Inghilterra e la monarchia dileggiati e disprezzati) e mai così notturno e grottesco.

Note personali: Josiane, personaggio femminile magnifico, moderno e terribile. Una donna "nata dalla marea", con un occhio azzurro brillante e uno fiammeggiante nero. (less)

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Feb 25, 2011 Katya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Книга, дающая бурю эмоций, при том самых разноплановых. Невероятная книга, благодаря ей задумываешься о многом, о самых главных человеческих ценностях... История любви незабываемая... Трагично, печально, но всё равно остается что-то светлое в душе после прочтения! Яркая иллюстрация красоты человеческого сердца, а отнюдь не внешности. Уродство и благородство в одном лице. Слепой это чувствует, а зрячий не замечает. Таковы люди! Финал не забываем...

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Apr 29, 2013 Alisea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nell'Inghilterra di inizio Settecento un bizzarro vagabondo, Ursus, poeta e filosofo di strada, raccoglie due orfani e li educa all'avventurosa vita dei girovaghi. Insieme formano una compagnia di mimi e vanno alla scoperta della splendida e miserabile società inglese dell'epoca. Ma il ragazzo, deformato nel volto da un continuo ghigno, nasconde un segreto. E quando scopre per caso la sua vera origine, vede il proprio destino incrinarsi.
E' stata una meravigliosa scoperta. Tre personaggi (Gwynpla...more

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May 06, 2010 Mona rated it 2 of 5 stars

Yg zuud shig tiim budeg badag sanaj bn. bi yg uuruu buten unshaagui eej ehluuleed tgd nadad halit mulit yariad, bi teriig n hed 3 erguulj bsan sanagdaj bn. Tgd l engiin udur tutmiinhaa yariand uurs shig ntr geel, esuul huuhduudiin zan turhiig yarihdaa zuirlej yridag bolson engiin hellegees uur yum uldeegui bololtoi. ghde ene nomiig dahin unshina daa gj bodoj blaa.
Unuudur ene tuhai yriltsaj bsan nz maani iim genetiin bdlaar nadad 'Ineemtgii hunii shine hevleltiig ugch, eejtei min unguruulsen sai...more

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May 30, 2008 Maryam added it · review of another edition

dastane gham angizie,bache boodam ke khoondam vali zahre khandeye mardi ke mikhandad ro hanooz hes mikonam!

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Mar 23, 2013 Guido rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ho l'impressione che l'esilio di Victor Hugo, tanto sofferto, lo aiutò molto dal punto di vista artistico, dando una forma e una direzione al suo temperamento romantico. Senza dubbio scriveva per denunciare le sue disavventure e quelle del suo paese, ma riuscì a farlo nell'ambito del suo talento: l'effetto del suo impegno politico sembra ancora sufficientemente moderno, e non del tutto estraneo alla sensibilità dei moderni cittadini europei. È facile e piacevole seguire le sue digressioni storic...more Ho l'impressione che l'esilio di Victor Hugo, tanto sofferto, lo aiutò molto dal punto di vista artistico, dando una forma e una direzione al suo temperamento romantico. Senza dubbio scriveva per denunciare le sue disavventure e quelle del suo paese, ma riuscì a farlo nell'ambito del suo talento: l'effetto del suo impegno politico sembra ancora sufficientemente moderno, e non del tutto estraneo alla sensibilità dei moderni cittadini europei. È facile e piacevole seguire le sue digressioni storiche, politiche, sociologiche, che aiutano a comprendere la sua visione dell'ambientazione di questo libro - l'Inghilterra del primo diciottesimo secolo - tenendo viva l'attenzione e la curiosità: gli aneddoti storici, sua riserva inesauribile, sono spesso interessanti; la sua abitudine di disseminare la narrazione di sentenze brusche e perentorie sugli argomenti più vari, non sempre memorabili né condivisibili, è gradevolmente offuscata dalla passione dell'esilio.

Il racconto della prima notte dura centinaia di pagine, e non sono sprecate: l'intera vicenda è dominata da quell'assenza di colori, da un'oscurità descritta spesso in modo molto crudo, feroce. Si esalta il cigolio della catena di un anonimo impiccato (la pena di morte, tema immancabile nelle battaglie pubbliche di Hugo), l'orribile rumore del fasciame di un'imbarcazione che va in pezzi durante una tempesta; e quando non si parla di morte, ci si è molto vicini: si seguono le vicende di saltimbanchi e dottori di strada che vivono come possono, pericolosamente tollerati dalla giustizia; si scopre che un filosofo può avere un lupo come unico amico, e che la giustizia che permette ai saltimbanchi di parlare costringe lui a tacere; si leggono e s'imparano i dialetti più affascinanti, quelli dei migranti e dei contrabbandieri (le lingue franche, scoperta sempre meravigliosa) e soprattutto si vive sempre nelle tenebre: quando non è la notte, è una taverna o una galera; il più esplicito raggio di sole serve a rivelare la cecità di una neonata. I nobili si odiano, e quando decidono d'incontrarsi si divertono costringendo due poveretti a farsi pugili e massacrarsi a vicenda, sotto le grida delle loro eleganti scommesse e considerazioni da intenditori. Altrove, Hugo ha preso di mira la monarchia; qui denuncia i vizi, la violenza dell'aristocrazia - e anche nel lusso di quei palazzi non si ha mai una sensazione di luce, ma d'ombra, d'asfissia, d'inganno.

Anche in questo romanzo Hugo sfrutta la deformità fisica, il difetto, l'invalidità per rendere evidente il valore simbolico dei suoi personaggi: la cecità, come ho detto; ma soprattutto la brutale, innaturale maschera del protagonista, Gwynplaine, il cui volto è stato sfigurato da un chirurgo per costringerlo a esibire un riso eterno. Lui è spesso serio, gli altri lo guardano e ridono: non può che fare il saltimbanco. La sua fortuna è che l'unica persona capace di amarlo non può vedere il suo volto. Non è una fortuna da poco; e non si deve sottovalutare questo espediente di Hugo, anche se sembra così scontato: l'emozione che produce è, ancora oggi, davvero invidiabile e rara.

L'evoluzione della trama, in fondo, è prevedibile; da questo punto di vista sono rimasto un po' deluso. Ma ripenso con affetto ai personaggi, e ricordo con precisione tutti gli eventi narrati, anche i più orribili: lasciarsi invadere per tante settimane da quell'ambientazione così tetra è stato salutare; quell'oscurità può aiutarmi a comprendere qualcuno, è preziosa, e sono convinto di doverla conservare.(less)

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May 06, 2013 Camilla P. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Prima di cominciare a scrivere questo commento, devo farvi una premessa. Victor Hugo è il mio scrittore preferito: provo nei suoi confronti una sorta di adorazione che, almeno secondo chi mi ha sentito parlare di lui, mi fa venire gli occhi luccicanti e il tono di voce adorante. Quindi cercherò di essere il più obbiettiva possibile, ma non prometto nulla.

Mi preme partire mettendo subito in chiaro che non è un libro “facile”. Hugo è figlio del suo tempo e questo si mostra anche nei soliloqui , n...more

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Jan 21, 2011 Nemo rated it 4 of 5 stars

"I returned and saw under the sun that—
The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and chance happen to them all."

Synopsis

This book reminded me of the movie "On the Waterfront", especially the famous speech by Marlon Brando : "You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum".

There are common themes in the 1869 book and the 1954 Ac...more

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Feb 05, 2012 J. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’d read Hunchback as a boy and enjoyed it; but I hadn’t read Hugo for nearly forty years. I was intrigued by the premise The Man Who Laughs.

Two-year-old Fermain is sold to Comprachicos—a Hugo invention based on the Spanish word for child-buyers, who mutilate his face into that of a perpetually laughing clown and force him to exhibit himself for money as a carnival freak. He is abandoned eight years later and, while wandering through a snowstorm, happens across the corpse of a frozen woman clutc...more I’d read Hunchback as a boy and enjoyed it; but I hadn’t read Hugo for nearly forty years. I was intrigued by the premise The Man Who Laughs.

Two-year-old Fermain is sold to Comprachicos—a Hugo invention based on the Spanish word for child-buyers, who mutilate his face into that of a perpetually laughing clown and force him to exhibit himself for money as a carnival freak. He is abandoned eight years later and, while wandering through a snowstorm, happens across the corpse of a frozen woman clutching a nearly dead infant girl. Fermain rescues the infant and, later that night, is taken in by Ursus, a traveling mountebank.

Flash forward a few years. Ursus and company now put on a traveling show, with Fermain, now known as Gwynplaine, in the lead heroic role. The infant—Ursus bestows upon her the moniker, Dea, the Greek word for “goddess.” Dea has become a teen and, blind, has come to love Gwynplaine, who returns her love; it is a love pure of heart. Yet he knows that if Dea could see him she would abhor him for his appearance.

Enter Duchess Josiana, a spoiled and jaded peeress, and illegitimate daughter of King James II. Bored by the dull routine of court, see witnesses one of Gwyplaine’s performances and professes her desire for him. However, it is a perverse desire, a sort fetish. Yet Gwynplaine is taken by the beautiful Josiana, driven by his hormones.

Gwynplaine’s true heritage is discovered. He is the legitimate child of Lord Linnaeus Clancharlie, Marquis of Corleone and a baron in the House of Lords. Upon Clancharlie’s death, Gwynplaine becomes heir to his estates, but with tragic results.

Although among Hugo’s most obscure works, Hugo wrote The Man Who Laughs, or the Laughing Man, over a period of fifteen months while living in the Channel Islands, having been exiled from his native France because of the controversial political content of his previous novels.

A melodrama, The Man Who Laughs is not an easy read. Written in the style of the period, it is heavy on narrative, and the story is “told” more than it is “shown.” The translation I read, by James Hogarth, is a poor translation. Still, The Man Who Laughs holds a rightful place as a masterpiece of the period and is worth the read.

Five stars for the original content, I rate it four stars for the poor translation.(less)

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Aug 04, 2010 Jesse rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Laughing Man by Victor Hugo

It is rare that a book speaks to the reader so intimately, as to be disclosing to them the inestimable secrets deeply concealed at the very core of their being. A book that speaks to the reader, it manages somehow to inject them – with an immersive raptness wholly complete – literarily into the narrative through the imaginative faculty. And yet, simultaneously, as the story is internalized, the reader shares (& most truly) the protagonist’s journey…reflecting u...more The Laughing Man by Victor Hugo

It is rare that a book speaks to the reader so intimately, as to be disclosing to them the inestimable secrets deeply concealed at the very core of their being. A book that speaks to the reader, it manages somehow to inject them – with an immersive raptness wholly complete – literarily into the narrative through the imaginative faculty. And yet, simultaneously, as the story is internalized, the reader shares (& most truly) the protagonist’s journey…reflecting upon how the allegorical meanings contained within the unfolding sequence of fictional events weave a patchwork quilt of the distant memories that make-up the obscure pattern of your own life story. It’s a sort of experience which is potentially contained in any decent example of literature. However, fine-tuned to the persona, it is the sort of experience which has the rarity of a wine aged to perfection and drank in all the warmth and comfort of the very best conditions. It something which is to be wished for, but even the most avid readers will be lucky to tap its magnificent wells only a handful of times in the relative brevity of a human lifespan. Thus, with great pleasure I give this book and its author the highest rating and the highest honors I can possibly give, for I consider this work to be a radiant gem, which deserves more credit than it is commonly assigned.

The macabre, the grotesque, in all of the insanity and absurdity of the social order is displayed in this neo-classicist dystopia which spirals towards a hideously opulent center – and in an almost dizzying array – like a baroque colonnade. Needless to say it is a work of considerable historical accuracy. The history is blended with the fictional so well one would fully expect to find Hugo’s creations alongside real historical figures in all the standard text books.

That said, I’ll venture further in stating that this book is an ingenious portrayal of some of the most perplexing, incongruous qualities of the human condition. One needs only to briefly consider its premise to understand this assertion. For at the center of this novel are two lovers true: One lover, a beautiful young woman, innocent and chaste, blind, delicate, and completely vulnerable, yet with a soul fortified by fervent devotion as pure as the crystal waters of a pool on a majestic mountain peak; the other lover, the protagonist – this “man who laughs” with a permanent smile – a hideous creature of the social underbelly, mutilated and abused as an infant, deformed, rejected, and abandoned as a child, yet, as a young man, able to champion a shinning heart of gold which has the power to purify the poison blood of spurned nobility coursing through his veins.

Fundamentally, it is a tale of how their happiness is born, nurtured and subsequently torn asunder; and of love as it found, lost, and miraculously found again before returning to the vast infinitude of the unknown from whence it originated. It seems, accordingly, that such a state of unwavering, unparalleled contentment, sheltered by the dilapidated fort of poverty’s heavenly simplicity, is the perfect prey for the ravenous jaws of certain ignoble constituents who, in part, serve to make-up aristocratic society in seventeenth century England. Indeed, there was great villainy in that so called system of “peerage”, and in its [in:] breeding successions for the ungraciously titled. In the course of this story, these undeserving lords and ladies are the ones who shamelessly spread misery to others with their dreadful, misanthropic loathing. Their hatred seemed to be both unconsciously fueled by and inversely encouraging their insatiable appetites for self-gratification. Subject to the wrath of such powerful adversaries, the once-prevailing clarity of our protagonist’s most honest intentions is left bewildered within insufferable labyrinths of idle corruption (and not in that cliché “fall from grace” manner to which is easily conceptualized). Fortunately, however, throughout the majority of the journey, the two lovers are guided and protected by a wandering old (Merlinesque) street sage and his loyal pet, semi-domesticated wolf. In an agreeable example of the macro-narrative convention, our [grand:] father figure covers-up his humble fortitude, gentility, and unconditional compassion with a rudely blunt and generally abrasive exterior. There’s a bit of comic relief in him, that one.

It’s brilliant really: The Man a Bear; the Wolf a Man. Just a single example of how the more conservative devices of the Western literary tradition are flipped upside-down upon their heads in this book. And with his characteristic eloquence combined with a mastery over those very same literary devices, the tradition as a whole, by Hugo, is to a considerable extent drawn anew. It’s a bold statement, I know it! But this time it has been recast with subversive contours, and the contemporaneous paradigm housing the status-quo has been subjected here to the pen’s most artful mutilation. Through the lashing bite of an unadulterated inquiry towards both the sacred and the terrible, the transcendent and the debased, in other words, the Profound, [the:] tattered flesh of the Divine Architect has been in this way exposed. Here lies the tender remainder of the body-politic, an ethereal corporality which was inundated by the lettered rivers of rhetorical sanguinity and forced to have its crimson waters fertilize his hemorrhaged wounds in order that he may be healed and reborn in the luminance of stylistic refraction. The end-product? each sentence exotically painted, drafted with feeling, then sculpted and refined in breath-taking psychological detail; each chapter like a vibrant, multihued orchid emitting Victor Hugo’s ghost with every pervading sun-bathed aromatic dispersal. The end-product? diffusion, momentary, all of this over-cast by a melancholic shadow of despair. In this book, disturbed and ironic right down to the title, it is a triumphant despair which plants a flag upon the unchartered terrain of your soul.

& it is a story which is my story. The heights of its blissful amorousness, the depths of its poignant sadness are equally claimed as mine own, and no less its intoxicating madness. As for myself, I can claim with relative ease that this is a book which has achieved the greatest possible impact upon my consciousness in becoming, literally, a textual surrogate for the repressed memories of my past experiences – with all the tortured obstacles of life, love and loss inclusive. Therefore, for these and many for other reasons (which would be superfluous to enumerate in a superficial review such as this one) I bestow upon this book my highest honor of a “masterpiece” rating. I recommend this book to (gothic/noir) literature aficionados and look forward to consuming some of Hugo’s better known books in the near future. But be warned, this book is not for those with a fragile psyche, or of a weak emotional constitution. Okay, you’ve been warned, now enjoy!

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Apr 22, 2009 Mitra added it · review of another edition

این درست نیست که بگوییم افکار آدمی بیرنگ است گاهی واکنشهای درونی برنگ صورت منعکس می شود پریدگی رنگ او از حالات غیر عادی درونی و جدال تضادهای نیک و بدی بود که در اندرونش کشمکش داشتند.واکنش حالات درونی گاه در اثر بارقه ی شرف و انسانیت انسان را به فرشتگان نزدیک میکند و چهره ی ملکوتی میابد و زمانی هم در اثر غلبه ی روح حیوانیت تا حد درندگان تنزل پیدا میکند که انعکاس چنین حالتی نیز در چهره ی آدمی به سهولت قابل درک و رویت میشود بدین جهت راز درونی پیرمرد بر چهره اش رنگ دیگری زده بود و هر ناظری می توانست...more

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Aug 24, 2008 Mitra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: novel

این کتاب که برخی از ادیبان جهانی انرا بزرگترین اثر نویسنده دانسته اندر اصل"اشرافیت" نام دارد که در آن زندگی ستمگران و بهره کشان جامعه ی اروپایی بخصوص انگلستان که بنام "اشراف و نجبا" بر جان و مال و هستی مردم محروم و بی نوا مسلط بوده اند به نحو درخشانی ترسیم یافته است.خواننده به وضوح در میابد که پادشاهان درباریان و خادمان کلیسا به سودای بهره جویی و کامیابی از نعمات زندگی مادی با نیرنگ و فریب و ریا به اغوای مردمان تیره روز جامعه خود پرداخته و با ترویج عقاید و رسومی که منشائی جز جهالت و دروغ و هوای...more

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Jun 11, 2007 Norman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Excellent adventure and drama --and, of course, lots of essay material that is apparently lacking on historical accuracy. But, on the latter, Hugo's diversions into background and context need not be fully accurate, there's a lot of good material in them and these chapters always pay-off nicely when the action continues (you feel steeped in the setting, which brings more verve to the characters and action).

And the characters and action in this book are magnificent. Modern horror is more graphic...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Vaiga rated it 4 of 5 stars

Įveikiau. Vietom buvo tikrai nelengva. Bet visa visuma patiko. Įdomus siužetas, gyvenimo tiesas gvildenantys apmąstymai, teisingos mintys. Visų 5 žvaigždučių nedaviau, totdėl, kad žudė vienas dalykas - platūs platūs, iki panagių išsamūs ir dažnai pasikartojantys apibūdinimai ir aprašymai. Jei veikėjas liūdi, tai jo liūdesio smulkmenos aprašytos 10-tyje puslapių. neveltui pati knyga beveik 1000 psl. siekia. Tai buvo išbandymas mano kantrybei. Labai patikęs bruožas buvo, kad autorius demonstruoja...more

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