Fifteen Facts about Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo was A poet, novelist and dramatist of the French Romantic Movement. He is best known for The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables although he wrote much more during his lifetime.

We have gathered together some interesting snippets of information and fascinating facts about the man behind some of our most beloved historical literature.

Les Misérables (US)
Les Misérables (UK)

• His full name was Victor Marie Hugo.
• His first novel Han d’Islande was published in 1823.
• Notre-Dame de Paris or The Hunchback of Notredame was published in 1831 and was Hugo’s first full length novel.
• Although Les Misérables wasn’t published until 1862 Hugo had been working on it since the 1830s.
• It is in the top 20 longest novels ever published list.

• In its first 6 years Les Misérables earned over 6million francs for its publishers.
• In 1851, Hugo decided to live in exile following Napoleon III’s coup d’état.
• In 1881, Hugo was recognised by a group of Belgians who broke his windows and doors, shouting “Down with Victor Hugo, Down with Jean Valjean!”
• The whole of France celebrated Hugo’s 80th birthday.
• As he lay dying he requested a pauper’s funeral.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (US)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (UK)

• After his death Hugo’s coffin was placed beneath the Arc de Triomphe for an all-night vigil.
• His funeral procession took over six hours to pass.
• He was an artist, he produced more than 4,000 drawings, which have since been admired for their beauty.
• He was campaigner for social causes such as the abolition of capital punishment.
• Well over 1,000 musical compositions have been inspired by Hugo’s works from the 19th century until the present day.

I hope these little bits of information about an author we have probably all read at least once have made him a little bit more real. Someone with morals and plans and dreams. If you know of any facts about Victor, let us know in the comments.