Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was born on the 26th of February 1802 in Besançon, a city in eastern France. His father Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo served as a general in Napoleon's army while his mother Sophie Trébuchet remained loyal to the deposed Bourbon dynasty. The family moved constantly from posting to posting across Europe during his childhood years. He grew up hearing stories about being conceived on one of the highest peaks in the Vosges Mountains during a journey from Lunéville to Besançon. His father wrote to him claiming this elevated origin had made his muse continually sublime. The couple had two other sons named Abel Joseph and Charles before Victor arrived. They met in Châteaubriant in 1796 and married the following year. Hugo later believed himself to have been conceived on the 24th of June 1801 which became the origin of Jean Valjean's prisoner number 24601.
Hugo became the figurehead of the Romantic literary movement with plays Cromwell published in 1827 and Hernani performed at the Comédie-Française in 1830. Hernani announced the arrival of French romanticism when it was greeted with several nights of rioting as romantics and traditionalists clashed over its deliberate disregard for neo-classical rules. His novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame appeared in 1831 and quickly translated into other languages across Europe. One effect of the novel shamed the City of Paris into restoring the much neglected Cathedral of Notre Dame which attracted thousands of tourists who read the popular book. He began planning a major novel about social misery and injustice as early as the 1830s but seventeen years were needed for Les Misérables to be realized and finally published in 1862. Publication went to the highest bidder and the Belgian publishing house Hurst and Blackett undertook an unusual marketing campaign issuing press releases six months before launch. Installments sold out within hours and had enormous impact on French society despite critical establishment hostility finding it insincere or vulgar.
When Louis Napoleon seized complete power in 1851 Hugo openly declared him a traitor to France. He moved to Brussels then Jersey from which he was expelled for supporting L'Homme a local newspaper that had published a letter to Queen Victoria by a French republican deemed treasonous. He finally settled with his family at Hauteville House in Saint Peter Port Guernsey where he lived in exile from October 1855 until 1870. While in exile he published famous political pamphlets against Napoleon III including Napoleon Le Petit and The Year Two. The pamphlets were banned in France but nonetheless had strong impact there. He also composed some of his best work during this period including Toilers of the Sea dedicated to the Channel island of Guernsey. The novel tells of a man who attempts to win approval of his beloved's father by rescuing his ship intentionally marooned by its captain through an exhausting battle of human engineering against force of sea and almost mythical beast of sea giant squid. Word used in Guernsey to refer to squid entered French language as result of book use. He returned to political and social issues in next novel The Man Who Laughs published in 1869 painting critical picture of aristocracy.
Hugo produced more than four thousand drawings with about three thousand still existing today. Originally pursued as casual hobby drawing became more important shortly before his exile when he made decision to stop writing to devote himself to politics. Drawing became exclusive creative outlet between 1848 and 1851. He worked only on paper usually in dark brown or black pen-and-ink wash sometimes with touches of white rarely with color. Well over one thousand musical compositions have been inspired by Hugo's works from nineteenth century until present day. More than hundred operas are based on Hugo's works including Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia Verdi's Rigoletto and Ernani. His novels plays and poems attracted exceptional amount interest from musicians creating not only opera and ballet but musical theatre such as Les Misérables and Notre-Dame de Paris. In Guernsey every two years Victor Hugo International Music Festival attracts wide range musicians and premiere songs specially commissioned from composers like various artists based on Hugo poetry.
Hugo died on the 22nd of May 1885 at fifty Avenue Victor Hugo now number 124. Death from pneumonia generated intense national mourning. He was not only revered as towering figure in literature but statesman who shaped Third Republic and democracy in France. All life remained defender liberty equality fraternity as well adamant champion French culture. Although requested pauper funeral by decree President Jules Grévy awarded state funeral event described by Nietzsche as veritable orgy bad taste. More than two million people joined funeral procession in Paris from Arc de Triomphe to Panthéon where buried. Shares crypt within Panthéon with Émile Zola and Alexandre Dumas. Most large French towns cities have street square named after him. Two days before dying left note last words To love is to act. At one point night whispered En moi c'est le combat du jour et de la nuit meaning In me this battle between day and night. Crowds gathered outside his house during siege of Paris eating animals given by Paris Zoo when food became scarce writing diary reduced to eating unknown.
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Common questions
When was Victor Hugo born and where?
Victor-Marie Hugo was born on the 26th of February 1802 in Besançon, a city in eastern France. His father Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo served as a general in Napoleon's army while his mother Sophie Trébuchet remained loyal to the deposed Bourbon dynasty.
What major literary works did Victor Hugo publish during his career?
Hugo became the figurehead of the Romantic literary movement with plays Cromwell published in 1827 and Hernani performed at the Comédie-Française in 1830. His novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame appeared in 1831 and quickly translated into other languages across Europe. He finally published Les Misérables in 1862 after seventeen years of planning.
Where did Victor Hugo live during his political exile from France?
He moved to Brussels then Jersey from which he was expelled for supporting L'Homme a local newspaper that had published a letter to Queen Victoria by a French republican deemed treasonous. He finally settled with his family at Hauteville House in Saint Peter Port Guernsey where he lived in exile from October 1855 until 1870.
How many drawings did Victor Hugo produce before his death?
Hugo produced more than four thousand drawings with about three thousand still existing today. Drawing became exclusive creative outlet between 1848 and 1851 when he worked only on paper usually in dark brown or black pen-and-ink wash sometimes with touches of white rarely with color.
When did Victor Hugo die and how many people attended his funeral procession?
Hugo died on the 22nd of May 1885 at fifty Avenue Victor Hugo now number 124. Death from pneumonia generated intense national mourning and More than two million people joined funeral procession in Paris from Arc de Triomphe to Panthéon where buried.