Considered the greatest and best known French writer of all times, Victor Marie-Hugo was born in Besancon, eastern France, on February 26, 1802.
From an early stage, he showed a commitment to raising social justice issues and giving voice to the oppressed, as well as standing against capital punishment.
Hugo was born three years after Napoleon Bonaparte had seized power, and two years before he declared France an empire.
He studied law, though he never committed to legal practice. Encouraged by his family, he embarked on a career in literature.
Coming of age after Napoleon's defeat, Hugo began his life as a poet and a writer and soon became a key figure in the development of French Romanticism.
One of his very famous works is the novel Les Miserables, first published in 1862, and considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. For many, he captured the humanity of those who were condemned to marginality.
On June 30, a Google Doodle was created in his honour and featured across North and South America, Europe, parts of Asia and Australia.
Through Les Miserables, Hugo examined the history of France, delving into issues such as poverty, politics, moral philosophy, justice and religion.
On June 5, 1832, the death of General Lamarque sparked a rebellion against the monarchy which was quickly and brutally repressed.
This would provide the inspiration for the student revolt at the centre of Les Miserables. "We shall have a republic one day," he argued, "and when it comes of its own free will, it will be good. But, let us not harvest in May fruit which will not be ripe until July; let us learn to wait ... We cannot suffer boors to bespatter our flag with red."
Politically influential
As a public figure, he was politically influential.
Hugo was elevated to the peerage by King Louis and entered the Higher Chamber as a pair de France, a designation of high distinction applied to a small number of the French nobility.
He spoke against death penalty and social injustice. Hugo raised to political fame after the February revolution and was ultimately elected as a representative of Paris.
When Napoleon III took complete power in 1851, Hugo openly declared him a traitor to France.
On June 5, 1832, the death of General Lamarque sparked a rebellion against the monarchy which was quickly and brutally repressed.
This would provide the inspiration for the student revolt at the centre of Les Miserables. "We shall have a republic one day," he argued, "and when it comes of its own free will, it will be good. But, let us not harvest in May fruit which will not be ripe until July; let us learn to wait ... We cannot suffer boors to bespatter our flag with red."
Politically influential
As a public figure, he was politically influential.
Hugo was elevated to the peerage by King Louis and entered the Higher Chamber as a pair de France, a designation of high distinction applied to a small number of the French nobility.
He spoke against death penalty and social injustice. Hugo raised to political fame after the February revolution and was ultimately elected as a representative of Paris.
When Napoleon III took complete power in 1851, Hugo openly declared him a traitor to France.
E
minent French author Victor Hugo is best known for his Romantic writings, with his first novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame cementing his place in the literary canon.
He wasn't just a literary genius, though. Hugo could easily be remembered as a politician, person in exile, or a saint. As his colourful history shows, his talents were plenty and his methods eccentric.
As Google celebrates Hugo 's life and work with a Doodle, here are some lesser known facts about Victor Hugo and how he created Jean Valjean.
He spent decades on Les Miserables
Hugo first had the idea for a novel that explored injustice and social misery in the 1830s. Despite this early germination, a year after The Hunchback of Notre Dame was published, Les Miserables wouldn't be finished until 1862. The work is believed to have taken Hugo 17 years to write.
A unique way to cure writer's block
When Hugo had a mental block and couldn't think of what words should follow when he next put pen to paper the famed author had an unusual trick. He would remove his clothes and give them to his valetbefore locking himself in a room with just a pen and paper. Some have speculated that Hugo wore a blanket, but others believe he would write while naked.
Record-breaking lengths
Les Miserables is one of the longest novels ever written. It comes number 20 on the list with 655,478 words. The West End version of the book, meanwhile, is the longest running musical on the West End.
Officially a saint
Hugo became a saint four decades after his death in a Vietnamese religion that fuses Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, and others. The Cao Dai religious movement was founded in 1926 with Hugo as one of its first saints. Others in its pantheon of Holy people include Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Joan of Arc, Julius Caesar and Confucius.
An entertaining wedding night
Hugo claimed to have had sex with his wife, childhood sweetheart Adele Foucher, nine times on their wedding night. Foucher reportedly lost her taste for intercourse after that first night, and refused to have sex again once they had had their fifth child. The couple married in 1822 when they were both 20 years old and stayed together for 46 years until Foucher's death in 1868. Hugo had a host of mistresses and was famed for his promiscuity.
79th birthday party drew one of largest French crowds ever
Hugo's 80th birthday celebrations, which were in fact celebrated on his 79th birthday "as he entered his 80th year", drew one of the largest crowds at a parade in French history. Half a million people walked past Hugo's house where he sat outside in the cold with his grandchildren. A group of 5,000 musicians are said to have played the French national anthem for him.
The Government ignored his request for a pauper's funeral
Following the popularity of the octogenarian's birthday, Hugo's funeral parade a few year's later was so long it took six hours to complete. His body was placed under the Arc De Triomphe and a stream of 2 million people came to pay their respects, walking from the arch to the Pantheon, where he was buried. Before his death Hugo requested a pauper's funeral. He shares a crypt at the Pantheon with Alexandre Dumas and Emile Zola.
Failed to get into the French Academy three times
Hugo tried and failed to get into the French Academy, the country's council for matters pertaining to language, three times as critics attempted to suppress the "Romantic evolution". He was eventually elected in 1841 in a victory that began his political career. In 1845, King Louis-Philippe gave him peerage and a platform to speak against the death penalty and social injustice. He was a strong advocate of press freedom and self-government for Poland. Three years later he was elected to the National Assembly.
Went into exile after Napoleon's revolution
Following the French revolution and Louis Napoleon's victory in 1851, Hugo declared himself an enemy of France and went into self-imposed exile. He moved to Brussels then Jersey and Guernsey before returning to France in 1870. When Foucher died in 1868 Hugo was unable to attend her funeral because he was in exile.
Post a Comment