Under Sentence of Death
by Victor Hugo
- Reading level
- Plain English
- Price
- Free
About the book
"Under Sentence of Death; Or, a Criminal's Last Hours" by Victor Hugo is a novella first published in 1829. It recounts the thoughts and fears of a man condemned to die by guillotine in 19th-century France. Written to advocate for abolishing the death penalty, the work traces the prisoner's psychological transformation as he awaits execution, recording his observations of prison life while never revealing his name or crime. The story culminates on his final day as reality closes in.
- French fiction
Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #50010. Under Sentence of Death on Wikipedia.
