RE: The book was written without government underwriting.
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Yep. And Victor Hugo was not even sure if Les Miserables was going to be a commercial success.
The shortest correspondence in history is said to have been between Hugo and his publisher Hurst and Blackett in 1862.
Hugo was on vacation when Les Misérables was published. He queried the reaction to the work by sending a single-character telegram to his publisher, asking “?”.
The publisher replied with a single “!” to indicate its success.
“Brevity is the soul of wit[.]”
William Shakespeare, *Hamlet*