Novelist · 1802 – 1885

Victor Marie Hugo

Little-Known Facts

  • Hugo spent nearly twenty years in exile, much of it on the island of Guernsey, where he wrote Les Misérables.
  • He was also a prolific artist, producing thousands of striking ink-and-wash drawings.

Myths & Misconceptions

Was Hugo only a novelist?

No. He was equally celebrated in his lifetime as a poet and dramatist, and was a leading public and political figure in France.