Inspector Javert: at the Gates of Hell

Inspector Javert, Victor Hugo's fictional antihero, stands on the parapet.

Below him, the swirling River Seine beckons. He hesitates, then... steps forward. What happens next? Does he cease to exist. Does he find life on the other side of life as we know it here on Earth? If he does, what sort of existence awaits Javert on that "other side"? Alfred J. Garrotto offers his own insight into what might have come next for Javert.




"Javert's the antagonist, but he really believes, from a moral perspective, that he's doing the right thing. His job is to keep order. In his mind, he is doing something incredibly noble and heroic."

- David Oyewolo, Inspector Javert in the BBC television series, Les. Quoted by Bridget McManus, The Sydney (Australia) Morning News Herald, June 13, 2020




"A testament of love over fear and the power of forgiveness over the belief in sin. Victor Hugo... and Bishop Myriel... would be proud."

- Steve Physioc, radio/tv broadcaster for the Kansas City Royals and author of The Walls of Lucca, Above the Walls, and Walks With the Wind




"Once I turned the first page of Inspector Javert, I was unable to stop reading. A truly wonderful tour de force. A delight from beginning to end."

- James Farmer, author of Celluloid Wings, Broken Wings, and America's Pioneer Aces.