Victor Hugo’s parents, were 3,000 feet above sea level on Mount Donon in the Vosges Mountains when inspiration struck in May 1801. Today, the precise location of Hugo’s conception is marked with a stone tablet: “IN THIS PLACE / ON 5 FLOREAL, YEAR 9 / VICTOR HUGO / WAS CONCEIVED.” [1]
Victor Hugo was a French Romantic writer and politician. Born on 26 February 1802, in Besançon in eastern France, Victor-Marie Hugo was the third son of Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo, a general in the French army, and his wife Sophie, a devoted Catholic and Royalist.
Victor’s early years were marked by frequent moves due to his father’s military career. When he was just two years old, the family moved to Italy, living there for three years before moving to Madrid, Spain. After Napoleon’s defeat, Sophie and the children returned to France, settling in Paris when Victor was twelve years old. He was exposed to a wide range of ideas and cultures, and his childhood experiences would later influence his writing.
Despite his parents’ differing political beliefs, Victor was raised in a household that valued tolerance and intellectual curiosity. He was a curious and intelligent child and was educated by his mother and grandmother who were both avid readers, instilling in him a love of books. He showed a talent for drawing, and was interested in theatre, enjoying performing in plays with his siblings.
As a young man, Hugo quickly made a name for himself in Parisian literary circles. Han d’Islande, his first novel, was published in 1823 when Hugo was in his early 20s, which helped establish him as a rising star in the literary world. A charismatic figure he was known for his good looks and charm, and he became a leading voice in the Romantic movement in France. In 1824, he married Adèle Foucher, his childhood sweetheart, and the couple went on to have five children together.
In the years that followed, Hugo continued to write prolifically, publishing several novels and collections of poetry. In the English speaking world we know him best for The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables. His work is marked by a strong sense of social justice, and he often used his writing to criticize the injustices and inequalities he saw in French society.
During a literary career that spanned more than 60 years, Hugo wrote in a variety of genres and forms, and he is considered to be one of the greatest French writers of all time.