Victor Hugo, the French author of Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, lived a life as bold and eccentric as his stories.

The Naked Novelist
To stay focused, Hugo sometimes wrote in the nude, with his clothes taken away so he could not leave until he finished writing.

Dark Artist
Hugo created more than 4,000 moody, dreamlike drawings, some inspired by his vivid imagination and others by séances he attended.

Exiled but Productive
After criticizing Napoleon III, Hugo was exiled for nearly 20 years. On Guernsey island, he completed Les Misérables.

Dinner with Ghosts
Grieving his daughter’s death, Hugo turned to spiritualism. He attended séances and even hosted ghostly dinner parties with “guests” like Jesus and Shakespeare.

Napoleon Obsession
Hugo once admired Napoleon enough to name his son after him, but later condemned tyranny in his writing.

Endless Romance
He had many affairs, including a decades-long relationship with actress Juliette Drouet, who joined him in exile.

Saving Notre-Dame
His novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame renewed public interest in the cathedral and inspired its restoration.

A Farewell Fit for Royalty
When Hugo died in 1885, more than 2 million mourners filled Paris for his funeral. He was buried in the Panthéon as a national hero.

Fighter for Justice
Hugo was also a passionate advocate for human rights, opposing the death penalty and resisting Napoleon III’s rule.