Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" is neglected by readers and undervalued by critics. This work helps us to appreciate the incredible ambition, power, and beauty of Hugo's masterpiece and, in the process, presents a humane vision of fiction as an alternative reality that can help us imagine a different and better world.

It was one of the most popular novels of the 19th century, yet today Victor Hugo's "Les Misrables" is neglected by readers and undervalued by critics. One of the world's great novelists Llosa helps readers to appreciate the incredible ambition, power, and beauty of Hugo's masterpiece.

"Vargas Llosa's book is a significant addition to the criticism of Les Misérables and of Hugo as a novelist. Vargas Llosa makes Hugo accessible to the reader as an author who was not fettered by the time period in which he wrote. He also presents valuable insights into the genre of fiction and what 'reality' means in a fictional work. Since Vargas Llosa is himself a highly respected novelist, his book has been particularly welcomed by critics in the field."---Shawncey Webb, Magill's Literary Annual