Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

Victor Hugo wrote poetry, fiction, and essays.

He was an artist, a playwright, and a journalist.

A revolutionary in both the literary and the political

A 19th Century French literary legend.

Victor in Drama¹, Victor in Romance,
Cloud-weaver of phantasmal hopes and fears,
French of the French, and Lord of human tears;
Child-lover; Bard whose fame-lit laurels glance
Darkening the wreaths of all that would advance,
Beyond our strait, their claim to be thy peers;
Weird Titan by thy winter weight of years
As yet unbroken, Stormy voice of France!
Who dost not love our England--so they say;
I know not--England, France, all man to be
Will make one people ere man's race be run:
And I, desiring that diviner day,
Yield thee full thanks for thy full courtesy
To younger England in the boy my son.

-- Alfred Lord Tennyson, 'To Victor Hugo'

1. Tennyson's original 1877 version of this sonnet used the word 'Poesy'.
He changed it to 'Drama' in 1880.

Last updated: September 6, 2009

This is a labor of love by one Hugophile for others. I regularly search the web for new translations of Hugo's work, biographical information, reviews, etc. What I can't find, I enter on my own when I find the time. If you know of something that isn't here, please email me. This site doesn't receive any corporate funding. I don't expect, but do appreciate any donations towards the maintenance of the site.