'Hunchback of Notre Dame' sales soar after tragic cathedral fire
The steeple collapses as smoke and flames engulf the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 15. AFP
By Park Si-soo
The tragic fire at France's Notre Dame Cathedral has boosted sales of Victor Hugo's classic novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” in France, according to
.
The novel ― published in 1831 under the original French title of “Notre-Dame de Paris” ― topped Amazon France's bestseller list on Tuesday (local time), one day after the iconic cathedral was engulfed in a massive blaze, according to HuffPost and other news outlets.
The bestseller list also included two books about the damaged cathedral's history and construction.
“Notre-Dame de Paris” follows the tragic lives of the beautiful Esmeralda and the hunchbacked Quasimodo, the 20-year-old bell-ringer who loves her. The novel has been filmed many times, including an Academy Award-nominated Disney version in 1996.
The New York Times previously noted that sales of the French translation of Ernest Hemingway's classic tale of Paris, “A Moveable Feast,” rose after the terrorist attacks of 2015.
Debris inside Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday. Firefighters battled for more than 12 hours to extinguish the inferno that engulfed Paris' famous cathedral, claiming its spire and roof, but sparing its bell towers and the purported Crown of Christ. (Christophe Petit Tesson, pool via AP)
The damage inside Notre Dame Cathedral after the devastating fire. AFP
Inspectors on the roof of the landmark Notre Dame Cathedral in central Paris a day after a fire ripped through its roof. AFP