The relationship between Victor Hugo and Adèle was initially not supported by either family. Hugo’s mother felt that Adèle’s family lacked noble lineage, and Adèle’s family found the Hugo family “somewhat poor”. [1]
At the age of 19 Victor Hugo published his first volume of poetry and quickly became famous. In the same year, he fell rather tempestuously in love with his childhood friend, Adèle Foucher. Born in Paris, Adèle was the 18-year-old daughter of Pierre Foucher, a clerk in the War Office and a friend of Hugo’s parents.
The relationship was not endorsed by either family, but the couple secretly became engaged. During their courtship, Hugo wrote about 200 love letters to Adèle, most of which have now been published. After the death of Adèle’s mother they married in a Catholic ceremony on 12 October 1822. Victor’s brother, Eugène, who also loved Adèle, suffered a nervous breakdown at the wedding.
Adèle and Victor’s first child, Léopold, was born in 1823, but died in infancy and four more children followed, the youngest being born in 1830.
Victor Hugo experienced great success in his career, but not so in his family life. One of his greatest sorrows was that his wife was indifferent to his writing. Both Victor and Adèle conducted affairs, although they continued to live with each other for nearly 46 years until Adèle died of a “cerebral congestion” at the age of 64 in August 1868.