Victor Marie Hugo
9 min read
Reading time
1,697
Words
Published
170
Books
2
Awards
Victor Hugo wrote Les Misérables in 1862 while in exile on Guernsey. His novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1831 revived the medieval Gothic style. He was also a politician who opposed the death penalty. His works have inspired countless adaptations, including the musical Les Misérables.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Victor Hugo — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Victor Hugo by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Victor Hugo — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Sophie Trébuchet and General Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo welcomed their son Victor Marie Hugo on February 26, 1802 in Besançon, France. His father served as a general in Napoleon’s army, and the couple’s political differences left a mark on young Victor’s developing views.
Hugo studied at Lycée Louis-le-Grand and the University of Paris. He initially pursued polytechnics but soon switched his focus to literature for good.
The play Hernani in 1830 gave Hugo his first major success, sparking the Battle of Hernani and establishing him as a leader of the Romantic movement.
His novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1831 revived the medieval setting and became a cultural phenomenon. After his daughter Léopoldine’s death in 1843, Hugo turned to politics, joining the Paris chamber. Exiled from 1851 to 1870, he wrote his masterpiece Les Misérables 1862, which became a global success.
His publisher’s single-character telegram response ! to Hugo’s ? is a famous anecdote.
Hugo married Adèle Fourcher in 1822; they had five children: Léopold, Léopoldine, Charles, François-Victor, and Adèle. His brother Eugène descended into madness after Hugo’s wedding.
Hugo had a long-term mistress, Juliette Drouet, for 50 years, and many other affairs. His wife Adèle had an affair with critic Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve.
A royal pardon in 1845 saved Hugo from being sentenced for adultery. His daughter Adèle’s unrequited love inspired the film The Story of Adele H 1975.
Over 48 operas and a hit musical have been adapted from Les Misérables. The Hunchback of Notre Dame has inspired 16 operas and numerous films.
Gwynplaine, the hero of The Man Who Laughs, influenced the Joker’s appearance. Confederate soldiers in the American Civil War called themselves ‘Lee’s Miserables’. Hugo publicly opposed capital punishment and advocated for abolitionist John Brown.
Hugo’s body rests in the Panthéon in Paris. Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche called him a lighthouse in a sea of absurdity. Ayn Rand credited Hugo as her inspiration to become a writer.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Victor Hugo — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Victor Hugo's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
Could not load more books.
A wall of memorable lines from Victor Hugo — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
Music Expresses That Which Can Not Be Said and on Which It Is Impossible to Be Silent.
Certain Thoughts Are Prayers. They Are Moments When, Whatever Be the Attitude of the Body, the Soul Is on Its Knees.
An Invasion of Armies Can Be Resisted, but Not an Idea Whose Time Has Come.
The Left Handed Are Precious; They Take Places Which Are Inconvenient for the Rest.
A Compliment Is Something Like a Kiss Through a Veil.
Nothing Awakens a Reminiscence Like an Odor.
Where the Telescope Ends, the Microscope Begins. Which of the Two Has the Grander View?
To Rescue from Oblivion Even a Fragment of a Language Which Men Have Used and Which Is in Danger of Being Lost That Is to Say, One of the Elements, Whether Good or Bad, Which Have Shaped and Complicated Civilization Is to Extend the Scope of Social Observation and to Serve Civilization.
The Supreme Happiness of Life Is the Conviction That We Are Loved.
Imagination Is Intelligence with an Erection.
Popularity? It Is Glory’s Small Change.
Man Lives by Affirmation Even More Than He Does by Bread.
Caution Is the Eldest Child of Wisdom.
To Die Is Nothing. Not to Live Is Frightful.
Not Being Heard Is No Reason for Silence.
A Writer Is a World Trapped Inside a Person.
Common Sense Is in Spite Of, Not Because Of, Education.
The Devil May Visit Us, but God Lives Here.
The Paradise of the Rich Is Made from the Hell of the Poor.
Music Is Noise That Thinks.
Men Become Accustomed to Poison by Degrees.
Social Prosperity Means Man Happy, the Citizen Free, the Nation Great.
Little-known facts about Victor Hugo — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
The publication of Les Misérables led to the shortest correspondence at that point: Hugo telegraphed a single ? and his publisher replied with !.
In 1884, Hugo visited the construction site of the Statue of Liberty and said The idea, it is everything.
Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche included Hugo in his list of impossible people, describing him as a lighthouse in a sea of absurdity.
Les Misérables is the source for 48 operas; The Hunchback of Notre Dame is the source for 16 operas.
Hugo’s brother Eugène went mad when Hugo married Adèle Fourcher, whom Eugène secretly loved. He died at Charenton Asylum on 20 February 1837.
Hugo’s remains were interred at the Pantheon in Paris, France.
Mortified to be descended from commoners, Hugo adopted more illustrious ancestors and designed a crest with the words Ego Hugo.
The appearance of Gwynplaine, the hero of The Man Who Laughs, especially portrayed by Conrad Veidt, inspired the Joker’s appearance.
Les Misérables became popular among Confederate soldiers in the American Civil War, who called themselves ‘Lee’s Miserables’. Hugo strongly condemned slavery and wrote a public letter against the execution of John Brown.
Hugo had a mistress, Juliette Gauvain Juliette Drouet, for 50 years, and many other affairs. He escaped adultery sentencing in 1845 by royal pardon.
Hugo was a personal favorite of Ayn Rand, who was inspired to become a writer after reading his books.
Hugo was appointed Pair de France in 1845.
In 1848, Hugo announced his candidacy for president of the French Republic but received very few votes.
Hugo won a seat in the National Assembly in 1871 but soon resigned out of frustration.
Hugo’s daughter Adèle’s unrequited love for an English soldier was the basis of the film The Story of Adele H 1975.
Les Misérables has been adapted into a hit stage musical and two hit television series. Roy Higgins modeled Richard Kimble in The Fugitive on Jean Valjean, and Gerard on Javert.
Hugo was at the bedside of Honoré de Balzac when he died.
Hugo was a staunch and vocal opponent of capital punishment.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Victor Hugo.
Celebrities similar to Victor Hugo — same craft, ranked by reach.
🇩🇪 Germany
🇿🇦 South Africa
🇺🇸 United States
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🇫🇷 France
🇷🇺 Russia
🇩🇪 Germany
🇩🇪 Germany
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
🇵🇱 Poland
🇫🇷 France
🇳🇴 Norway
