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Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame Sales Soar on Amazon France

Literary classic “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame,” by Victor Hugo, jumped to first place on the bestseller list of Amazon France.

Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame Sales Soar on Amazon France
Fallen debris from the burnt out roof structure sits near the altar inside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France (Photographer: Christophe Morin/Bloomberg)  

(Bloomberg) -- Literary classic “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame,” by Victor Hugo, jumped to first place on the bestseller list of Amazon France on Tuesday after a fire ravaged the world-famous cathedral during the night.

The book, called “Notre-Dame de Paris” in French, tells the tale of the beautiful Esmeralda and the cathedral’s bell-ringer Quasimodo.

Increases in sales of such works have turned into a way for Paris to grieve when the city is hit by tragedy. In November 2015, Ernest Hemingway’s memoir about the time he spent lounging in cafes and bars in 1920s Paris --“A Moveable Feast” -- became an unlikely totem of defiance against the terrorist attacks that claimed 130 lives.

Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame Sales Soar on Amazon France

In third place on the Amazon list on Tuesday was a book published in 2012 about the history of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, whose co-authors included Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, a former archbishop of Paris.

The No. 1 spot on the bestseller list was held by Juan Branco’s Crepuscule, meaning Twilight, criticizing French President Emmanuel Macron’s policies.

To contact the reporters on this story: James Regan in Paris at jregan65@bloomberg.net;Helene Fouquet in Paris at hfouquet1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Geraldine Amiel at gamiel@bloomberg.net, Vidya Root

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