Victor Hugo Central
The internet research hub for Victor Hugo enthusiasts

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About the site

This site is primarily devoted to the works of Victor Marie Hugo, the 19th century poet, novelist, phlosopher, artist, and politician. There is some discussion of other French authors, and on political poetry. The idea was to create the ideal place for a student, professor, or anyone else to come to research Victor Hugo. You will find translations of his work, contemporary and modern reviews, and biographical and related information.

The site focuses on English sources. This is due solely to the fact that the person responsible for this website is extremely limited in his knowledge of the French language. He also believes a large portion of the English speaking world shares the same limitation. The translations on this site are targeted to that audience.

It goes without saying that for those who are actually literate in French, it is preferrable to read Hugo in the original. All translations of all authors, regardless of the author, and regardless of the translator, have faults. No translator will deny this. They try to get as close as they can to the original, but it's never perfect.

About the webmaster

My name is John Newmark. I was born in 1969, in St. Louis, Missouri, where I have lived most of my life.

In 1988, my family took a trip to New York where we saw Les Miz on Broadway. I sat entranced by music and words; It was there the characters of Valjean, Javert, Grantaire, Enjolras, Gavroche and Cosette became inscribed in my mind.

The following summer I was tempted at a corner bookstore. Hugo's novel beckoned to me. I grabbed it and soon discovered the musical I loved paled in comparison.

I have since read much of Hugo. I don't recall how long ago I began working on this website. There were incarnations at Geocities and Xoom as early as 1998. Gavroche.org was born in 2000.

I have written some poetry and fiction of my own, and I maintain a weblog