Victor Hugo: Larger Than Life

Victor Hugo, the legendary French author of Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, led a life as bold and eccentric as his stories. Here are some curious facts that prove it:

The Naked Novelist
To stay focused, Hugo sometimes wrote in the nude. He had his clothes taken away so he couldn’t leave the house until he finished writing—just him, a pen, and a blanket.

Dark Artist
Beyond books, Hugo created over 4,000 moody, dreamlike drawings. Some say his art was inspired by his vivid imagination—or the séances he attended later in life.

Exiled, but Productive
After criticizing Napoleon III, Hugo was exiled from France for nearly 20 years. He spent the time on Guernsey island, where he wrote Les Misérables.

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

Napoleon Obsession
Hugo once admired Napoleon Bonaparte enough to name his son after him. Later, he took aim at tyranny in his writing, showing his shift from awe to critique.

Endless Romance
Hugo’s love life was as prolific as his prose. He had many affairs, including a decades-long relationship with actress Juliette Drouet, who followed him into exile.

Saving Notre-Dame
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame helped ignite public interest in the crumbling cathedral, ultimately leading to its restoration.

A Farewell Fit for Royalty

When Hugo died in 1885, over 2 million people joined his Paris funeral procession. He was laid to rest in the Panthéon, a national hero.

Fighter for Justice
Hugo wasn’t just a storyteller—he was a fierce advocate for human rights, fighting against the death penalty and refusing to return to France under Napoleon III.