Victor Hugo didn’t just give the world Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame—he helped save the cathedral itself. His novel sparked public outcry over the crumbling state of the iconic Gothic structure, inspiring major restoration efforts that preserved it for future generations. 

But Hugo’s imagination didn’t stop there. During his exile on the island Guernsey, he held séances to speak with the dead (he claimed to have chatted with Shakespeare, Dante and Jesus) and wrote in the nude to avoid distractions—often having his servants hide his clothes until his work was completed. 

He also created over 4,000 dreamlike artworks using coffee grounds, soot, and whatever else was on hand.

When he died in 1885, over 2 million people flooded the streets of Paris to mourn him. He is buried in the Panthéon in Paris, alongside other French legends such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Émile Zola, and Marie Curie.

Want to see the shadowy visions he painted? The Royal Academy is now exhibiting a rare collection of his art: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/astonishing-things