Les Miserables is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.

 

The novel as a whole is one of the longest ever written, with 655,478 words in the original French. Upton Sinclair described the novel as “one of the half-dozen greatest novels of the world”

 

Beginning in 1815 and culminating in the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris, the novel follows the lives and interactions of several characters, particularly the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption. Les Miserables has been popularized through numerous adaptations for film, television, radio and the stage, including a musical.

 

Produced in Australia and first broadcast in 1949, Les Miserables was a 52-episode radio serial created by George Edwards. Adapted from Victor Hugo’s powerful dramatic story of an ex-convict whose past was destined always to rise against him.

 

The man behind Les Miserables was George Edwards. An Australian actor and producer, Edwards lived many lives before coming to the career he is most known for. Vaudevillian, acrobat, stage actor, and comedian, Edwards shone brightest in bringing wonderful stories to life on Australian radio. The man behind other series, such as Afloat with Henry Morgan, Adventures of Marco Polo and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde lent not only his production skills to Les Miserables, but shared his amazing vocal talents as well.

 

This set of transcription discs turned up in Seattle many years ago. While the 7 hour 1937 radio adaptation by Orson Welles is widely available, this 12 hour serial does not seem to be known. According to our research it appears to be Uncirculated.

 

Spread over a series of 52 quarter-hour episodes, this six-hour set contains twenty-five episodes of the series. Episodes #5 and #6 are not known to exist, but their absence in no way interferes with the flow of the action or the storyline. The remaining twenty-five episodes will appear in Volume 2.

 

Les Miserables, Volume 1, one of the best serial adventures of the radio era. The intense pacing of each episode as well as the high quality production values and the talented voice acting of George Edwards and the rest of the cast make this a must have for any fan of Classic Radio. Transferred from first generation master recordings and fully restored for excellent audio fidelity.