"The Man Who Laughs" is one of the most famous novels by the great French writer Victor Hugo.
The novel’s main hero is Gwynplaine—when he was a child, he was abducted by criminal-comprachicos, who disfigured his face beyond recognition by cutting into it a terrible grimace. Strangely enough, this cruelty did not cripple the boy’s soul, and he grew into a wise, kind, noble, and honest man. This rare combination of the finest human qualities sharply contrasts with the reality surrounding Gwynplaine. The twists of his fate are astonishing: an enormous number of trials falls to his lot, but he proves stronger than them and makes a journey from a fairground performer to a member of parliament.