In 1937, a 22-year-old Orson Welles undertook one of the most ambitious projects in the history of radio drama: adapting Victor Hugo’s monumental novel Les Misérables into a sweeping Mercury Theatre production.
The result was a remarkable achievement of storytelling.
With little more than voice, music, and imagination, Welles and his cast transformed Hugo’s vast epic—filled with revolution, mercy, justice, and redemption—into a gripping radio drama that still resonates nearly a century later.
In this Chesterton Radio Deep Dive, our hosts broadcast from Atchison, Kansas, exploring:
• how Welles condensed Hugo’s massive novel into powerful radio storytelling
• the unforgettable moral conflict between Jean Valjean and Javert
• the Christian themes of mercy and transformation at the heart of the story
• why radio drama may be one of the most powerful ways to experience Hugo’s masterpiece
Along the way, the hosts also ask an intriguing question:
What might G.K. Chesterton have said about Les Misérables and its vision of grace, justice, and the transformation of the soul?
If you love classic literature, old-time radio, and thoughtful conversations about great stories, this episode is for you.
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