Notre Dame Fire Sparks Hugo Novel Revival

In France, the Hunchback’s story became a bestseller overnight; in the U.S., Amazon ran out of stock on print editions.

On Monday, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris suffered a heartbreaking fire. In the days since, the world has rallied to support the gothic monument’s reconstruction and restoration.

All the attention drawn to Notre Dame has helped to revive reader interest in the Victor Hugo classic novel set in Notre Dame and starring Quasimodo and Esmerelda. In France, the Hunchback’s story is now a bestseller, notes Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer, while in the U.S., Amazon ran out of stock on print editions.

Two centuries ago, Albanese tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally, the Hugo novel helped draw attention to the then-sorry state of the cathedral. Now, French booksellers have called on the various publishers of public domain novel to donate a portion of their windfall sales revenue to the Notre Dame restoration fund.

Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.