On this day...A draft of Victor Hugo's 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' was due in 1830. The original publishers, Gosselin, had already agreed with Hugo that the book would be finished in 1829 - the year in which he had started writing it. However, the huge demand for other projects, including the premiere of his drama 'Hernani', had hindered Hugo, and so the completion of the work was delayed. Put out, the publishers delievered an ultimatum, demanding the book be completed by February of 1831.
Thus it is said that Hugo, settling down with a new bottle of ink, refused to leave his house, apart from nightly visits to the cathedral, until the work was finished. It was finally pulished in January 1831, and has proved one of France's most popular books, become a literary classic all over the world, and even led to major renovations at the Notre Dame cathedral itself.
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