The son of a General in Napoleon's army he was educated at the Lycee Louis le Grand in Paris and was only 25 when he published his drama Cromwell in 1827 a great success followed by Hernani in 1830 which achieved great critical acclaim. His Notre Dame de Paris (1831), or as it is probably better known, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, was a very successful novel and today is considered one of the world's great classics. Hugo wrote a large amount of poetry including Odes et Ballades (1826) Les Feuillesd'automne (1831) Chants du Crepuscle (1835), Les Contemplations (1856) and, perhaps his best work, La Legende des Siecles (1859). After the revolution of 1848, Hugo became involved in political life and, after the accession of Napoleon III, spent the years from 1851 to 1870 in exile. During this exile, much of which was spent in Guernsey, he produced two of his greatest novels, Les Miserables (1862) and Les Travailleurs de la Mer (1866) which takes place in Guernsey. He returned to France in 1870, only to once more return to exile after confrontations with the Commune. He finally returned permanently in his final years and achieved the acclaim of the country. |
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