| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Amnesty International
Product Description
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
The fear is overwhelming. It grips the reader as that fateful day draws near. Written expertly in the first person, giving an urgency to the prose, it is simple and eloquent. I found myself empathizing with the unknown man. And how could I not? I was completely absorbed in his harsh reality my heart racing, head pounding. It's an instinctive reaction - survival. The inhumanity of society is abhorrent to punish in this way and Hugo makes you feel disgusted and appalled at what is about to happen. And to a guilty man! We do not know what crime has been committed but it is clear that he is not innocent. Hugo does not distract the reader with a crime. It is irrelevant. This is a story of punishment. The issue is the death sentence alone.
Hugo gives convincing arguments as to why the death penalty is not only crude and inhumane but ludicrous and farcical. Who is truly being punished? It's a sociological and ethical tour de force. Originally published in 1829 without an author's name (only a preface stating that this may be an actual account), this novella was deeply shocking to the french of that time and its effect has not diminished.
Vehemently opposed to the death penalty, Hugo encapsulates his fears about the fatalism in french society in the early 19th century. Equally as relevant today it's almost inconceivable to think that around 3000 people are "lawfully executed" each year around the world. This is a tragic statistic. Perhaps the politicians of these nations should be forced to read The Last Day of a Condemned Man.
The foreword by Libby Purves and introduction by Geoff Woollen (translator) are insightful, and Hugo's own preface is sublime. Bringing contemporary relevance in the afterword is Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK, whose stark account of the death penalty is a fitting end to a remarkable piece.
This is an important work. I will read it again and again. I hope everyone reads it.
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
