Victor Hugo's 'Mille francs de récompense' ('Reward: 1000 Francs') published in first-ever English translation

SAN FRANCISCO - Aug. 2, 2018 - PRLog -- Victor Hugo's novels Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame have been worldwide sensations since their release in the nineteenth century. His plays have received less attention, and some have never even been translated into English. San Francisco-based writer and translator Ilana Walder-Biesanz has brought one of the great author's neglected works to the English-speaking world with her release of Reward: 1000 Francs, the first English translation of Hugo's 1866 play Mille francs de récompense.

In Reward: 1000 Francs, a family on the brink of financial ruin is threatened with the revelation of dangerous secrets. An unscrupulous banker offers to save them, in exchange for the daughter's hand in marriage. Their prospects seem grim, but a witty thief decides to become their guardian angel. The play received a French revival by acclaimed director Laurent Pelly in 2010. The performance toured to Korea in 2014, and a Korean translation of the play was published to mark the occasion.

"I stumbled upon Mille francs de recompense several years ago when researching Hugo's works," Ilana says. "I was enraptured by the hero Glapieu's clever way with words and astute social commentary, and at the same time I was moved by the simple innocence of the young lovers' plight. I thought it was a shame that other English-speaking fans of Hugo couldn't read this charming play." Ilana Walder-Biesanz holds a Master's degree in European Literature from the University of Cambridge, with a focus on the theater and opera of continental Europe. This is her first published full-length translation.

Reward: 1000 Francs is available in eBook format on Amazon ($2.99): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FRSTJ2N.