Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo is one of the most famous names in literature. This French romantic author is best known for his novels including The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Miserables, as well as his poetry collections and plays. 

Fans of his works may not know that Hugo was also something of an artist, producing more than 4,000 creations during his lifetime. 

Meet Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo was born in 1802 in Besancon, France. He was the son of a general in Napoleon’s army, and therefore spent much of his childhood moving around with the imperial army. 

Hugo would eventually settle in Paris in order to study law, where his time as a poor student would inspire his iconic Marius character in Les Miserables. At the age of 20, he married his childhood friend Adele Foucher, with whom he would go on to have five children. 

Despite his studies, he was always interested in poetry and writing. At just 21, he published his first novel, Hans of Iceland, an underrated tale of revenge and adventure. Yet it wasn’t until his release of Cromwell in 1827 that he cemented himself as one of the great Romantic writers. He continued to find success with his plays, and was also prolific with poetry and the occasional novel. 

His work, ‘The Last Day of a Condemned Man’, was said to have had a huge influence on writers that followed in his footsteps, including Charles Dickens and Albert Camus. 

In 1843, Hugo sadly lost his daughter and her new husband to a tragic accidental death. His works soon reflected his grief, and eventually led to publishing ‘Les Mis’. 

Following the French Revolution, Hugo was elected to be a deputy for Paris in the Constituent Assembly, which later led to a role in the Legislative Assembly. However, a coup d’etat in 1851 saw him flee overseas, where he stayed until the republic was reconstituted in 1870. 

Upon his return to Paris, he was welcomed back as a national hero. His lifelong commitment to political change, including the abolition of the death penalty, was a lesser known but important part of his legacy. His artworks, poetry, novels, plays, and politics will remain today as a testament to his hard work, dedication, creativity, and incredible talent.