Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo was a French writer, poet and political figure born in Besançon in 1802 and died in Paris in 1885. He became one of the major figures of 19th-century French literature through his novels, poems and plays. Among his best-known works are The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, published in 1831, and Les Misérables, released in 1862.

His writing often explored themes such as poverty, social injustice, childhood, love and the struggle for human dignity. Through his characters and stories, he tried to show the difficulties faced by ordinary people and to encourage reflection on society. Hugo was also involved in public life.

He supported freedom of expression, opposed the death penalty and defended several republican ideas. After the coup d'état of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte in 1851, he went into exile and spent many years outside France, especially on the island of Guernsey.

During this period, he continued to write and produced some of his most important works. He returned to France in 1870 and remained an influential voice until his death. Today, Victor Hugo is remembered as a central figure in French literature and as a writer whose works continue to be read around the world.