On this day: writer Victor Hugo was born, le 26 Février 1802

Victor Hugo

French poet, dramatist, and novelist Victor Hugo was born on le 26 février 1802in Besançon, France.

The son of a general, he was an accomplished poet before age 20. With his verse drama "Cromwell" (1827), he emerged as an important figure in Romanticism. The production of his poetic tragedy "Hernani" (1830) was a victory for Romantics over traditional classicists in a well-known literary battle. His later plays included "Le Roi s'amuse" (1832) and "Ruy Blas" (1838). His best-known novels are <"The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1831), an evocation of medieval life, and "Les Misérables" (1862), the story of the convict Jean Valjean; their huge popularity made him at that time the most successful writer in the world. In later life he was a politician and political writer. He spent the years 1851–70 in exile for his republican views, producing his most extensive and original works, including "Les Châtiments," ("The Punishments") (1853), poems of political satire; "Les Contemplations" (1856); and the first installment of "The Legend of the Centuries" (1859, 1877, 1883). He was made a senator in 1876. He lived for a time at Place des Vosges in Paris. After his death on le 22 mai 1885 in Paris,he was buried in le Panthéon as a national hero.

More Reading:


Les Misérables

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

Memoirs of Victor Hugo