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Classic Authors: Victor Hugo

© Susan Jensen

Although there is no positive proof that Victor Hugo was born prematurely, it is likely, judging from several descriptions of his birth and infancy. Hugo entered the world on February 26, 1802, landing in Besancon, France. His mother described him as "no longer than a knife". It seemed unlikely that the tiny baby would survive. In fact, it is said that Victor's coffin was ordered from the carpenter at the same time as his cradle. He later told Alexandre Dumas that even at 15 months he could not hold his head erect.

Like many preemies, Hugo was determined to live and make his mark on society. He was a tiny baby born into a broken home, but he was to become one of the greatest writers of all time as well as a major figure in French politics.

Early in his life, Victor's mother had an affair with one of his father's associates. Because of this, his parents separated. When his mother died, Victor refused to accept money from his father and lived in abject poverty. He later earned money selling his writing.

Hugo was an excellent student, especially in physics, philosophy, French literature, Latin, Greek and mathematics. He began by writing poetry and eventually moved on to novels. He also became heavily involved with politics and was, in fact, exiled when he opposed Napoleon III. He first landed in Brussels and then moved onto the isle of Jersy and then to Guernsey. While in exile, he wrote satires about Napoleon, poetry and several novels, including Les Miserables (1862), which became an immediate success. The Hunchback of Notre Dame had been published 31 years earlier in 1831.

Victor returned to Paris in 1870 where he was elected to the national assembly and to the Senate.

He died on May 22, 1885, in Paris and was given a hero's funeral. He was considered one of the greatest poets of the day, so it is not surprising that more than 2 million people attended his funeral.

Note: Biographical information was compiled from "Victor Hugo: A Biography" by Graham Robb and the following Web sites:

http://www.kirjasto.sci-fi/vhugo.htm

http://www.lesmis.com/inspiration/author...

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