Victor Hugo, the author of 'Les Misérables' and 'The Hunchback of Notre-Dame,' is the subject of a famous literary anecdote regarding the shortest correspondence in history. In 1862, following the publication of 'Les Misérables,' Hugo was on vacation and anxious to know how his 1,200-page epic was being received by the public. He sent a single-character telegram to his publisher, Hurst & Blackett, containing only a question mark: '?'. The publisher, wanting to convey the book's massive success, replied with a single exclamation point: '!'. This wordless exchange perfectly captured the excitement surrounding the novel, which was an instant international sensation. Hugo’s work was deeply political and focused on social injustice, and his funeral in 1885 was attended by more than two million people, one of the largest public gatherings in the history of Paris.