Victor Hugo (Feb. 26, 1802-May 22, 1885) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, statesman, human activist and possibly the most influential writer of the Romantic Movement in France.
Hugo is sometimes called the greatest poet. His best-known works outside France are the novels Les Misérables and Notre-Dame de Paris (translated in English as “The Hunchback of Notre Dame).
Victor Hugo is thought by many as the best poet of French romanticism (a style in the 1800’s that emphasized a free form of writing, expressed strong emotions and experiences of the common people). He had such an incredible talent that it was easy for him to produce a lot of plays, poems and novels.
His work touches upon most of the political and social issues of his time. He was a fervent defender of freedom, social injustice and freedom of the press and spoke against the death penalty.
When Louis Napoléon (Napoléon III) seized complete power in 1851 and established an anti-parliamentary constitution, Hugo openly declared him a traitor to France. Fearing for his life, he fled to Brussels, then the channel island of Jersey and finally settled with his family on the island of Guernsey where he lived in exile until 1870.
He was able to convince the government of Queen Victoria to spare the lives of six Irish people convicted of terrorist activities and his influence was credited in the elimination of the death penalty from the constitutions of Geneva, Portugal and Columbia.
His writing had a deep impact on others writers. His humanism inspired the Russian writer Tolstoy in particular.
He had a great love and compassion for children as reflected in a lot of his works.
Eventhough Napoleon III granted amnesty to all political exiles in 1859, Hugo declined, as it meant he would have had to reduce his criticisms of the government. It was only after Napoléon III fell from power and the Third Republic was proclaimed that Hugo decided to return to his homeland in 1870, where he was elected to the National Assembly and the Senate.
Victor Hugo’s death on 22 May 1885, at the age of 83, brought intense national mourning. He was not only revered in French literature but was also internationally recognized as a statesman who had helped preserve and shape the Third Republic and democracy in France. More than two million people followed his funeral procession in Paris from the Arc de Triomphe to the Panthéon where he was buried. He shares a crypt with two other great French writers Alexandre Dumas and Emile Zola.
Now that you have read Victor Hugo's short biography, read one of his poem below and think about its meaning. Then write 2 paragraphs in English in the box provided.
In the first paragraph, tell your teacher what you think about Victor Hugo and his influence in the world.
In the second paragraph give your opinion of the poem. Make sure the words are yours. The paragraphs should have at least 5 sentences each.
Demain, dès l’aube
Demain, dès l’aube, à l’heure où blanchit la campagne,
Je partirai. Vois-tu, je sais que tu m’attends.
J’irai par la forêt, j’irai par la montagne.
Je ne puis demeurer loin de toi plus longtemps.
Je marcherai les yeux fixés sur mes pensées,
Sans rien voir au dehors, sans entendre aucun bruit,
Seul, inconnu, le dos courbé, les mains croisées,
Triste, et le jour pour moi sera comme la nuit.
Je ne regarderai ni l’or du soir qui tombe,
Ni les voiles au loin descendant vers Harfleur,
Et, quand j’arriverai, je mettrai sur ta tombe
Un bouquet de houx vert et de bruyère en fleur.
Tomorrow at Dawn
Tomorrow, at dawn, when the countryside brightens,
I will depart. You see, I know that you wait for me.
I will go through the wood, I will go past the mountains.
I cannot remain far from you any longer.
I will walk, eyes set upon my thoughts,
Seeing nothing around me and hearing no sound,
Alone, unknown, back bent, hands crossed,
Sorrowful, and for me, day will be as night.
I will not watch the evening gold fall,
Nor the distant sails going down to Harfleur,
And, when I arrive, I will put on your grave
A bouquet of green holly and heather in bloom.
*You may use outside sources (Internet, books, magazines, etc.) to gather information for this assignment. However, be sure not to copy the information directly from those sources. Copying information and presenting it as your own work is considered plagiarism and will result in a failing grade. You will need to rephrase the information into your own words and cite the source of the information you used.
