And Now, Headlines...

"Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables, died...
in 1885"

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Victor Hugo





    Victor Hugo is an extremely important person in the history of literature.  Contributing such famous titles as Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hugo's writing is well known throughout the world.

Hugo's Life and Works


   Victor Hugo was born on February 26, 1802, in Besancon, France.  Being the son of a general in Napoleon's army, he was constantly traveling.  As a young boy, he was a very avid reader and writer, though he did not receive a thorough education.  At the age of 20, Hugo published his first volume of poetry called Odes et Poesies Diverses, or miscellaneous odes and poems.  Hugo wrote his first long drama, "Cromwell" in 1827.  In this drama, Hugo wrote a plea that would quickly become the policy of the romantic school.           
    Throughout his life, Hugo supported romanticism.  After censors banned his second drama, "Marion de Lorme", he wrote a third, called "Hernani", which, with it's turbulent premeir, made the success of romanticism certain.
    During the most productive period of his writing career, Hugo wrote one of his most famous works,The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  This made him popular and entered him into the French Academy.  During the 1840's, Hugo became a Liberal with strong Napoleonic beliefs.  He was made a Peer of France in 1845, and supported Louis Philippe and the constitutional monarchy.  As the revolution of 1848 broke out, he became a Republican and opposed the setting up of the empire.  For this fact, he was exiled from France to the Channel Islands for about 20 years, during which he wrote his purhaps most famous novel, Les Miserables.  After the empire collapsed, Hugo returned to France and was named perpetual senator after he released his last two novels, Quatre-Vingt-Treize, and Les Quatre Vents d’Esprit.
    In his works, Hugo brought out themes like that of 19th century France.  Hugo died a famous man on May 22, 1885, and was buried under the Arc de Triomphe.
 
 
 

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