Sanctuary! Sanctuary!

August 17, 2010 6:10 AM

Real-life Quasimodo uncovered in Tate archives. A new discovery appears to reveal the real-life inspiration behind the character from Hugo's seminal novel, which tells the story of the deaf bell-ringer of Notre Dame and his unrequited love for the gipsy girl Esmeralda.
posted by Fizz (6 comments total)

"...I don't know his name, but his face rings a bell."
posted by empath at 6:17 AM on August 17, 2010 [3 favorites]

On the one hand that's really neat, but I have to admit I'm a tiny bit disappointed that they didn't actually find a really old hunchbacked guy, shambling around in between the shelves last week.
posted by mhoye at 6:26 AM on August 17, 2010 [1 favorite]

In one entry, he writes: "the [French] government had given orders for the repairing of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, and it was now in progress ... I applied at the Government studios, where they were executing the large figures [for Notre Dame] and here I met with a Mons. Trajan, a most worthy, fatherly and amiable man as ever existed – he was the carver under the Government sculptor whose name I forget as I had no intercourse with him, all that I know is that he was humpbacked and he did not like to mix with carvers."

Hehe..yep I am 12.
posted by ShawnString at 6:47 AM on August 17, 2010

the story of the deaf bell-ringer of Notre Dame and his unrequited love for the gipsy girl Esmeralda.

Now there's an elevator pitch.

Great book, wonderful discovery, pleasant frisson.
posted by Faze at 7:49 AM on August 17, 2010

The real-life humpback's name was "Trajin", which is a Spanish word basically meaning "work hard and fast", like calling someone "Digger" or "Speedy".
posted by stbalbach at 8:18 AM on August 17, 2010

He really is a dead ringer for Quasimodo!
posted by Astro Zombie at 8:19 AM on August 17, 2010