As you walk through Le Havre, the spirit of Victor Hugo seems to hover over the city. Indeed, in Montmorency district, as the road curves, you’ll encounter the Impasse Cosette, Escalier Jean Valjean, Rue Fantine, Impasse Javert... You might start to wonder whether you're in Le Havre or within the pages of Les Misérables. According to legend, Victor Hugo was inspired by a local resident to create the character of Jean Valjean, the hero of his novel. Guillaume Régnault was an influential businessman. The victim of a blackmailer who was about to reveal his past as a convict, he preferred to come clean rather than face dishonour. Today, he is buried in a modest tomb in Graville Abbey. Damaged by the elements over time, the name on his tombstone is no longer legible. Surely an ending worthy of a novel.
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