Welcome to Carpe Horas, a curious assemblage of Les Misérables geekery, French history resources, primary-source translations, and miscellaneous odds and ends. Submissions and corrections are always welcome; just leave a comment or drop me a line if you see anything that needs fixing.

Hucheloup had invented a capital thing which could be eaten nowhere but in his house, stuffed carps, which he called carpes au gras. One fine morning, he had seen fit to notify passers-by of this “specialty”; he had dipped a brush in a pot of black paint, and as he was an orthographer on his own account, as well as a cook after his own fashion, he had improvised on his wall this remarkable inscription:–

CARPES HO GRAS.

One winter, the rain-storms and the showers had taken a fancy to obliterate the S which terminated the first word, and the G which began the third; this is what remained:–

CARPE HO RAS.

Time and rain assisting, a humble gastronomical announcement had become a profound piece of advice.

-Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

Outtakes: Snippets of Hugo’s notes and the rough drafts of the book.
History: Resources about 1830s France.
Paris: Maps and images of Paris in the time of Les Misérables.
Musical: Information on cast recordings and a translation of the French libretto.
Fun: Lists, generators, and other doohickies for your entertainment.
Tour Guide: Tracking down the traces of Les Misérables in modern Paris.
Further Reading: Links and books.
About: This site, ever-outdated source list, contact info.
Updates: What it says on the tin.
Annotations: The Les Misérables Annotation Project wiki.