TEHRAN – A new Persian translation of “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”, a French romantic/gothic novel by Victor Hugo, has been published.

Hermes is the publisher of the book originally published in 1831. The novel has been translated by Mohammadreza Parsayar.

This extraordinary historical French gothic novel, set in Medieval Paris under the twin towers of its greatest structure and supreme symbol, the cathedral of Notre-Dame, is the haunting drama of Quasimodo, the disabled bell-ringer of Notre-Dame, as he struggles to stand up to his ablest guardian Claude Frollo, who also wants to commit genocide against Paris’ Romani population.

The novel has been described as a key text in French literature and has been adapted for film over a dozen times, in addition to numerous television and stage adaptations, such as a 1923 silent film with Lon Chaney, a 1939 sound film with Charles Laughton, and a 1996 Disney animated film with Tom Hulce (both as Quasimodo).

The novel sought to preserve the values of French culture in a time period of great change, which resulted in the destruction of many French Gothic structures. 

It made Notre-Dame de Paris a national icon and served as a catalyst for renewed interest in the restoration of Gothic form.

Several Persian translations of “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame” have previously been published by different institutes in Iran.

Photo: A copy of the Persian edition of Victor Hugo’s novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”.

MMS/YAW