Les Misérables: Radio Drama of the Classic Victor Hugo Masterpiece

Victor Hugo (1802–1885) was a poet, novelist, dramatist, and leader of the romantic movement in France. He also played an active part in political life. His literary works best known in English include Les Misérables, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Ninety-Three.

Orson Welles (1915–1985) was an iconic Academy Award–winning director, writer, actor, and producer for film, stage, radio, and television. He won the 1941 Academy Award for best original screenplay for Citizen Kane and in 1970 received the Academy Honorary Award. Known for his baritone voice, he was well regarded as a radio and film actor, a celebrated Shakespearean stage actor, and an accomplished magician. He first gained notoriety for his October 30, 1938, radio broadcast of H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds. Winner of multiple awards, he is now widely acknowledged as one of the most important dramatic artists of the twentieth century. In 2002, two British Film Institute polls of directors and critics voted Orson Welles the greatest film director of all time.

Jim Hodges began reading aloud in the second grade with a stirring rendition of Dick and Jane. He continued to volunteer to speak throughout his schooling years, performed as a newscaster while in the Navy, and participated in community theater groups. His wife, Monica, once asked what his dream job would be. He answered, “I’d record books.” And so began Jim Hodges Audio Books, producing unabridged recordings of the G. A. Henty historical novels, children’s books, Overtly Christian titles, and classic literature.