The Man Who Laughs

Victor Marie Hugo (1802–1885) was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist who became the preeminent figure of the Romantic movement in France. He is celebrated for his immense literary output and his lifelong commitment to social justice and human rights, which transformed the landscape of nineteenth-century European literature.

Born in Besançon to a Napoleonic general, Hugo’s early life was marked by the political shifts of the French Empire and the Restoration. His literary career began with poetry and theater, most notably the premiere of Hernani in 1830, an event that sparked a riot and solidified Romanticism's victory over Classicism. Following the coup d'état by Napoleon III in 1851, Hugo spent nearly twenty years in exile on the islands of Jersey and Guernsey, a period of profound isolation that fueled his most ambitious works.

Upon his return to Paris in 1870, he was hailed as a national hero and served in the National Assembly and the Senate. His writing was deeply influenced by personal tragedies, including the death of his daughter, and his evolving political views from royalism to republicanism. Hugo’s final years were spent as a symbol of the French Republic, and his death in 1885 was marked by a massive state funeral attended by over two million people.

Essential Reading

• Les Misérables (1862): This epic novel explores the struggles of the disenfranchised and the redemptive power of mercy through the life of Jean Valjean.
• Bug-Jargal (1826): Set during the Haitian Revolution, this early novel examines racial tensions and the complexities of friendship amidst a slave uprising.
• Claude Gueux (1834): A powerful indictment of the French penal system and the death penalty, based on the true story of a desperate prisoner.
• Han d’Islande (1823): Hugo’s first published novel is a dark, gothic romance set in seventeenth-century Norway involving a monstrous outlaw.
• Hernani ou l'Honneur castillan - Drame (1830): This play broke traditional theatrical rules and established Hugo as the leader of the Romantic movement.
• L’Homme qui rit (1869): A political allegory set in England, this novel depicts a man whose face was surgically deformed into a permanent grin.
• La Légende des siècles Tome I & II (1859–1883): This massive collection of poems attempts to depict the history and evolution of humanity.
• Le Dernier Jour d’un condamné (1829): A psychological novel that provides a harrowing first-person account of a man’s final hours before execution.
• Les Contemplations Tome I & II (1856): Often considered his poetic masterpiece, these volumes reflect on life, death, and the loss of his daughter Leopoldine.
• Les Travailleurs de la mer (1866): Dedicated to the people of Guernsey, this novel portrays a man’s epic struggle against the forces of nature.
• Notre-Dame de Paris Tome I & II (1831): This historical novel centers on the iconic cathedral and the tragic lives of Esmeralda and Quasimodo.
• Quatrevingt-treize (1874): Hugo’s final novel focuses on the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution and the conflict between duty and mercy.
• Ruy Blas (1838): A tragic drama about a commoner who rises to power in the Spanish court and his forbidden love for the Queen.