Less Misery

Random Memorandum™ to hunchbacked French Canadian novelist, dramatist, poetist and, possibly, ventriloquist Victor-Marie Hugo (pictured): We — and by we, we mean me — count ourselves amongst your fans, yet a question nags: Were you not confident that "Les Misérables" was a work of great magnitude when you submitted the manuscript to the publishing house? Surely you had some notion that this was no mere page-turner to be enjoyed by candlelight. But if you believed the voluminous document to be destined for great things — if you had an inkling that it would live on in perpetuity on stage — why on earth give it such an unwieldy title? What mortal among us would have the capacity to correctly pronounce "Les Misérables" on the first, second or third attempt? Is it “Lay Miserable?” “Lay Misarablay?” “Misarablays?” “Less Miserable?” Bloody hell, methinks Jean Valjean himself would have had trouble with this tongue-twister! Would your art have suffered if you simply entitled it with the proper English translation — “The Miserable One” — and called it a fortnight? Would that have been a criminal act? Or was it all a joke to you, sir? Did you take this joke to your deathbed on this day May 22, 1885? 'Tis with admiration — and some displeasure — on this day that we remember Master Hugo "Montenegro" (of "Notre Dame.")