Halu Heidelberg Alumni Luxemburg

'The Hell Hole' is the first volume of a two-part novel by Alexandre Dumas, the Elder, which was first published as a serial novel in the magazine 'L'Événement' under the title 'Dieu dispose' (God Directs) in the years 1850 and 1851. The novel tells the extremely dark story of two unequal brothers in the first half of the 19th century, during the time of the German Wars of Liberation. This first volume takes place entirely in Heidelberg and its surroundings. The story reaches a tragic, albeit provisional, conclusion towards the end of the volume. In the second volume, it is picked up again fifteen years later in Paris and concluded there. Beyond the actual plot, the first volume particularly highlights Dumas' depiction of the customs and practices at the university, which he had already described in his travel reports and which he weaves fully into the narrative. With this translation, the editors aim to particularly recall this aspect of the lesser-known novel, not without a certain wink. For this reason, the reader will find in the appendix, in addition to the novel, the translation of those parts from Dumas' travel impressions that pertain to student life in Heidelberg.