Hugo Victor Marie- French writer, poet, prominent representative of the romantic literary movement - was born in Besançon on February 26, 1802. His father was a high-ranking military man, therefore, as a child, Hugo managed to visit Corsica, Elba, Marseille, Madrid, which later played a certain role in his formation as a romantic writer. His mother’s monarchist and Voltairean views had a noticeable impact on the formation of his personality. After the divorce, she took Victor, and in 1813 they settled in Paris. His education continued in the capital: in 1814, Hugo became a student at the private boarding school Cordier, and from 1814 to 1818 he was a student at the Lyceum of Louis the Great.

Hugo began writing at the age of 14. His first publications - debut poems and the novel "Byug Zhargal" - date back to 1821. Victor was 19 when the death of his mother forced him to look for a source of livelihood, and he chose the craft of a writer. The collection of poems “Odes and Miscellaneous Poems” (1822) attracted the attention of Louis XVIII and brought the author an annual annuity. In the same year, Hugo married Adele Fouché, with whom he became the father of five children.

The preface to the drama "Cromwell", written in 1827, attracted everyone's attention to Hugo, since it became a real manifesto of a new - romantic - direction in French drama. Thanks to him, as well as the story “The Last Day of the Convict” (1829) and the collection of poems “Oriental Motifs” (1829), the author gained enormous fame. The year 1829 marked the beginning of an extremely fruitful period in his creative biography, which lasted until 1843.

In 1829, Hugo wrote another work that became resonant - the drama "Ernani", which put an end to literary disputes, marking the final victory of democratic romanticism. Dramatic experiments made Hugo not only a famous but also a wealthy author. In addition, active cooperation with theaters brought another acquisition: the actress Juliette Drouet appeared in his life, who was his muse and mistress for more than three decades. In 1831, one of Hugo's most popular novels, Notre Dame de Paris, was published.

In 1841, the writer became a member of the French Academy, which meant official recognition of his merits in the field of literature. Tragic death In 1843, she forced her daughter and son-in-law to abandon active social life in favor of creative pursuits: it was at that time that the idea of a large-scale social novel arose, which Hugo tentatively called “Adversity.” However, the revolution of 1848 returned the writer to the fold of social and political activity; in the same year he was elected to the National Assembly.

In December 1851, after a coup d'etat, Victor Hugo, who opposed the self-proclaimed Emperor Louis Napoleon III Bonaparte, was forced to flee the country. He spent almost two decades in a foreign land, living in the British Isles, where he wrote works that became extremely famous, in particular, the lyrical collection “Contemplations” (1856), the novels “Les Miserables” (1862, revised “Adversity”), “Toilers” sea" (1866), "The Man Who Laughs" (1869).

In 1870, after the overthrow of Napoleon III, Hugo's triumphant return took place, during for long years who served as the personification of the opposition, to Paris. In 1871 he was elected to the National Assembly, but conservative politics majority led the writer to refuse his deputy post. During this period, Hugo continued his literary activity, but he did not create anything that would increase his fame. He experienced the death of Juliette Drouet in 1883 as a severe loss, and two years later, on May 22, 1885, the 83-year-old Victor Hugo himself passed away. His funeral became a national event; the ashes of the great writer rest in the Pantheon - in the same place where the remains of Voltaire are buried.

Biography from Wikipedia

Victor Marie Hugo(French Victor Marie Hugo; February 26, 1802, Besançon - May 22, 1885, Paris) - French writer (poet, prose writer and playwright), one of the main figures of French romanticism. Member of the French Academy (1841).

Life and art

Childhood

Victor Hugo was the youngest of three brothers (the elders were Abel (1798-1865) and Eugene (1800-1837)). The writer's father, Joseph Leopold Sigisbert Hugo (1773-1828), became a general in the Napoleonic army, his mother Sophie Trebuchet (1772-1821), the daughter of a Nantes shipowner, was a Voltairian royalist.

Hugo's early childhood took place in Marseille, Corsica, Elba (1803-1805), Italy (1807), Madrid (1811), where his father worked, and from where the family returned to Paris each time. Traveling left a deep impression on the soul of the future poet and prepared his romantic worldview.

In 1813, Hugo's mother, Sophie Trebuchet, who had love affair with General Lagorie, separated from her husband and settled with her son in Paris.

Youth and the beginning of literary activity

From 1814 to 1818, Hugo studied at the Lycee Louis the Great. At the age of 14 he began his creative activity: he writes his unpublished tragedies - “ Yrtatine”, which he dedicates to his mother; And " Athelie ou les scandinaves", drama " Louis de Castro", translates Virgil. At the age of 15, he already received an honorable mention at the Academy competition for the poem “ Les avantages des études", in 1819 - two prizes at the competition "Jeux Floraux" for the poem "The Maidens of Verdun" ( Vierges de Verdun) and an ode “For the restoration of the statue of Henry IV” ( Rétablissement de la statue of Henri IV), which laid the foundation for his “Legend of Ages”. Then he prints the ultra-royalist satire " Telegraph”, which first drew the attention of readers to him. In 1819-1821 he published Le Conservateur littéraire, a literary supplement to a royalist Catholic magazine Le Conservateur. Filling out his own edition under various pseudonyms, Hugo published there “ Ode on the Death of the Duke of Berry”, which secured his reputation as a monarchist for a long time.

In October 1822, Hugo married Adele Foucher (1803-1868), and five children were born to this marriage:

Leopold (1823-1823)
Leopoldina, (1824-1843)
Charles, (1826-1871)
Francois-Victor, (1828-1873)
Adele (1830-1915).

In 1823, Victor Hugo's novel "Gan the Icelander" was published. Han d'Island), which received a reserved reception. Well-reasoned criticism of Charles Nodier led to a meeting and further friendship between him and Victor Hugo. Soon after this, a meeting was held in the library of the Arsenal - the cradle of romanticism, which had a great influence on the development of the work of Victor Hugo.

The friendship of Hugo and Nodier would last from 1827 to 1830, when the latter began to speak out more and more critically about the writer’s works. Somewhat earlier, Hugo resumes relations with his father and writes the poem “Ode to My Father” ( Odes a mon père, 1823), " Two Islands"(1825) and "After the Battle" ( Après la bataille). His father died in 1828.

Hugo's play "Cromwell" Cromwell), written specifically for the great actor of the French Revolution, François-Joseph Talme, and published in 1827, caused heated controversy. In the preface to the drama, the author rejects the conventions of classicism, especially the unity of place and time, and lays the foundations of romantic drama.

The Hugo family often holds receptions in their home and establishes friendly relations with Sainte-Beuve, Lamartine, Merimee, Musset, and Delacroix.

From 1826 to 1837, the writer's family often lived at the Château de Roches, in Bièvres, the estate of Louis-François Bertin, editor Journal des débats. There Hugo meets Berlioz, Liszt, Chateaubriand, Giacomo Meyerbeer; compiles collections of poems “Oriental Motifs” ( Les Orientales, 1829) and "Autumn Leaves" ( Les Feuilles d'automne, 1831). The theme of "Oriental Motifs" is the Greek War of Independence, with Hugo speaking in support of Homer's homeland.

In 1829, “The Last Day of a Person Condemned to Death” was published ( Dernier Jour d'un condamné), in 1834 - “Claude Gue” ( Claude Gueux). In these two short novels, Hugo expresses his negative attitude towards death penalty.

Novel " Notre Dame Cathedral"was published between these two works, in 1831.

Years dedicated to the theater

From 1830 to 1843, Victor Hugo worked almost exclusively for the theater. However, he published several collections of poetry at this time:

"Autumn leaves" ( Les Feuilles d'automne, 1831),
"Twilight Songs" ( Les chants du crépuscule, 1835),
"Inner Voices" ( Les Voix interiors, 1837),
"Rays and Shadows" ( Les Rayons et les Ombres, 1840).

In Songs of Twilight, Victor Hugo exalts the July Revolution of 1830 with great admiration.

Scandal during the first production " Hernani"(1830). Lithograph by J.-I. Granville ( 1846)

Already in 1828 he staged his early play " Amy Robsart" 1829 is the year of the creation of the play “Ernani” (first staged in 1830), which became the reason for literary battles between representatives of old and new art. An ardent defender of everything new in dramaturgy was Théophile Gautier, who enthusiastically accepted this romantic work. These disputes remained in the history of literature under the name “ Battle of Ernani" The play Marion Delorme, banned in 1829, was staged at the Port-Saint-Martin theater; and “The King Amuses himself” - at the Comedy Française in 1832 (removed from the repertoire and banned immediately after the premiere, the show was resumed only 50 years later).

The ban on the latter prompted Victor Hugo to write the following preface to the original 1832 edition, which began: " The appearance of this drama on the theater stage gave rise to unprecedented actions on the part of the government. The day after the first performance, the author received a note from Monsieur Juslin de la Salle, stage director at the Théâtre-France. Here is its exact content: “It is now ten o’clock and thirty minutes, and I have received orders to stop the performance of the play “The King Amuses himself.” Monsieur Taylor conveyed this order to me on behalf of the Minister».

It was November 23rd. Three days later - November 26 - Victor Hugo sent a letter to the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Le National, which said: “ Monsieur, I was warned that a part of the noble students and artists are going to come to the theater this evening or tomorrow and demand a showing of the drama “The King Amuses himself,” and also to protest against the unheard-of act of arbitrariness, because of which the play was closed. I hope, monsieur, that there are other means to punish these illegal actions, and I will use them. Let me use your newspaper to support the friends of freedom, art and thought, and prevent violent demonstrations that could lead to the riot so desired by the government for a long time. With deep respect, Victor Hugo. November 26, 1832».

The plot conflict in all of Hugo's dramas is based on a brutal duel between a titled despot and a powerless plebeian. This is the clash between the unknown young man Didier and his girlfriend Marion and the all-powerful minister Richelieu in the drama “Marion Delorme” or the exile Hernani with the Spanish king Don Carlos in “Hernani”. Sometimes such a clash is brought to a grotesque point, as in the drama “The King Amuses himself,” where the conflict plays out between the darling of fate, invested with power, the handsome and heartless egoist King Francis, and the hunchbacked freak, offended by God and people, the jester Triboulet.

In 1841, Hugo was elected to the French Academy, in 1845 he received the title of peer, and in 1848 he was elected to the National Assembly. Hugo was an opponent of the coup d'état of 1851 and was in exile after Napoleon III was proclaimed emperor. In 1870 he returned to France, and in 1876 he was elected senator.

Death and funeral

Victor Hugo died on May 22, 1885, at the age of 84, from pneumonia. The funeral ceremony of the famous writer lasted ten days; About a million people took part in it.

On June 1, Hugo's coffin was exposed for two days under Arc de Triomphe, which was covered with black crepe.

After a magnificent national funeral, the writer's ashes were placed in the Pantheon.

Works

Quasimodo(hero of the novel " Notre Dame Cathedral") - Luc-Olivier Merson. Engraving from Alfred Barbu's book " Victor Hugo and his time"(1881)

Like many young writers of his era, Hugo was greatly influenced by François Chateaubriand, a famous figure in literary movement romanticism and outstanding - in France at the beginning of the 19th century. As a young man, Hugo decided to be " Chateaubriand or no one", and also that his life should correspond to the life of his predecessor. Like Chateaubriand, Hugo would promote Romanticism, figure prominently in politics as a leader of republicanism, and be exiled because of his political views.

The early passion and eloquence of his first works brought Hugo success and fame in his early years. His first collection of poetry "Odes and Various Poems" ( Odes et poésies diverses) was published in 1822, when Hugo was only 20 years old. King Louis XVIII granted an annual allowance for the writer. Hugo's poems were admired for their spontaneous fervor and fluency. This collection of works was followed by a collection of “Odes and Ballads” ( Odes et Ballades), written in 1826, four years after the first triumph. It presented Hugo as a magnificent poet, a true master of lyricism and song.

Cosette- heroine of the novel Les Miserables" Illustration by Emil Bayard

Victor Hugo's first mature work in the genre fiction, “The last day of a man sentenced to death” ( Le Dernier jour d'un condamné), was written in 1829 and reflected the writer's keen social consciousness, which continued in his subsequent works. The story had a great influence on such writers as Albert Camus, Charles Dickens and F. M. Dostoevsky. Claude Gueux, a short documentary story about a real-life murderer executed in France, was published in 1834 and was subsequently regarded by Hugo himself as a harbinger of his magnificent work on social injustice - the epic novel " Les Misérables" (Les Miserables). But Hugo's first full-fledged novel will be incredibly successful Notre-Dame de Paris (« Notre Dame Cathedral"), published in 1831 and quickly translated into many languages throughout Europe. One of the effects of the novel's appearance was to subsequently draw attention to the desolate Notre-Dame Cathedral, which began to attract thousands of tourists who read the popular novel. The book also contributed to a renewed respect for old buildings, which were immediately actively preserved.

"The Man Who Laughs"

"The Man Who Laughs"(French L "Homme qui rit) - one of the most famous novels Victor Hugo, written in the 60s years XIX century. The starting point in the plot of the novel is January 29, 1690, when a child is abandoned in Portland under mysterious circumstances.

Hugo began work on the novel in July 1866 in Brussels. In a letter to Lacroix's Parisian publisher, Victor Hugo suggests the title of the work " By order of the king", but later, on the advice of friends, he settles on the final title " The man who laughs».

The French Post Office issued postage stamps dedicated to Victor Hugo in 1933, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1985.
House-Museum of Victor Hugo in Paris.
Monument at the Sorbonne by Laurent Marquest.
House-Museum of Victor Hugo in Luxembourg.
Bust of Hugo by Auguste Rodin.
Monument to Hugo in the Hermitage Garden. Created by Laurent Marquest, the bronze bust was created in 1920. Gift of the City Hall of Paris to Moscow, established on May 15, 2000.
V. Hugo Street in Kaliningrad.
Victor Hugo Street in Tver, approved by the decision of the Tver City Duma on September 20, 2011.
A crater on Mercury is named after Victor Hugo.
Hugo is canonized in the Vietnamese Cao Dai religion.
Victor Hugo metro station in Paris on line 2.

Works of Hugo in other forms of art

Victor Hugo began drawing at the age of 8. Now private collectors and museums have about 4,000 works by the writer; they are still successful to this day and are sold at auctions). Most of the works were written in ink and pencil between 1848 and 1851. He made sketches with pen and black ink on plain paper. Delacroix declared to Hugo: “If you became an artist, you would eclipse all the painters of our time” (Delacroix made costume sketches for Hugo’s first play “Amy Robsart”).

Hugo knew many artists and illustrators, the Deveria brothers, Eugene Delacroix, and Louis Boulanger was his close friend. Admiration for the writer and poet resulted in deep mutual friendship; visiting Hugo’s house every day, Boulanger left a lot of portraits of people grouped around the writer.

He was attracted to fantastic plots, inspired by the same poems by Hugo: “The Phantom”, “Lenore”, “The Devil’s Hunt”. The lithograph “Night Sabbath” is masterfully executed, where devils, naked witches, snakes and other “evil spirits” appearing in Hugo’s ballad rush in an eerie and rapid round dance. A whole series of lithographs was inspired by Boulanger's novel Notre Dame. Of course, it is impossible to exhaust Boulanger's work with the all-encompassing influence of Hugo. The artist was inspired by the history of the past and present, the Bible, Italian literature... But the best works are those inspired by the art of Hugo. The writer's talent was akin to that of an artist; in his work he found the most faithful support for his quest. Their devoted friendship, which lasted throughout their lives, was the subject of admiration for their contemporaries. “Monsieur Hugo has lost Boulanger,” said Baudelaire upon learning of the artist’s death. And in a review of the “Salon of 1845” (a brochure of about 50 pages published in the same year, signed “Baudelaire-Dufay”). Baudelaire gives the following characterization of Louis Boulanger: “before us are the last fragments of old romanticism - this is what it means to live in an era when it is believed that the artist has enough inspiration to replace everything else; This is the abyss into which Mazepa’s wild leap carries him. Mr. Victor Hugo, who destroyed so many, also destroyed Mr. Boulanger - the poet pushed the painter into the pit. Meanwhile, Mr. Boulanger writes quite well - just look at his portraits; but where the hell did he get a diploma as a historical painter and inspired artist? Perhaps in the prefaces and odes of your famous friend?

In March 1866, the novel “Toilers of the Sea” was published with illustrations by Gustave Doré. “Young, gifted master! “Thank you,” Hugo writes to him on December 18, 1866. “Today, despite the storm, I came across an illustration for “Toilers of the Sea” that was no less powerful than it. In this drawing you depicted a shipwreck, a ship, a reef, a hydra, and a man. Your octopus is scary. Your Gilliatt is great.”

Rodin received the order for the monument to Hugo in 1886. The monument was planned to be installed in the Pantheon, where the writer was buried a year before. Rodin's candidacy was chosen, among other things, because he had previously created a bust of the writer, which was received positively. However, Rodin's work, when it was completed, did not meet the customers' expectations. The sculptor depicted Hugo as a mighty naked titan, leaning on a rock and surrounded by three muses. The nude figure seemed out of place in the tomb, and the project was eventually rejected. In 1890, Rodin reworked the original plan, removing the figures of the muses. A monument to Hugo was erected in the garden of the Palais Royal in 1909.

The most famous illustrator of Hugo's books is perhaps the artist Emile Bayard (Les Misérables). The emblem of the musical “Les Misérables” is a painting in which the abandoned Cosette sweeps the floors in Thénardier’s tavern. In the musical, this scene corresponds to the song "Castle on a Cloud" ( Castle on the cloud). Typically a cropped version of the painting is used, where only the girl's head and shoulders are visible, often with a waving French flag woven into the background. This image is based on an engraving by Gustav Brion, who in turn based a drawing by Emile Bayard.

In the USSR, his books were designed by P. N. Pinkisevich, the last book of which was illustrated by A. I. Kravchenko. famous master engravings, was “Notre Dame Cathedral” (1940). Also famous are the illustrations of the contemporary French artist Benjamin Lacombe ( Benjamin Lacombe) (born in 1982). (Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris, Part 1 - 2011, Part 2 - 2012. Editions Soleil).

Film adaptations

L’Homme qui rit (“The Man Who Laughs”; 2012)
"Les Miserables" Les Miserables"; USA-UK, 2012)
Quasimodo d'El Paris (1999) (novel “Notre Dame de Paris”)
Les misérables (" Les Miserables"; 1998)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) (novel “Notre Dame de Paris”)
Les misérables (" Les Miserables"; 1995)
Mest shuta (1993) (novel “Le Roi s’Amuse”)
Les misérables (" Les Miserables"; 1988)
Días difíciles (1987) (novel)
La conscience (1987) (short story)
Le dernier jour d'un condamné (1985) (novel)
Les misérables (" Les Miserables"; 1982)
Rigoletto (1982) (play “Le roi s’amuse”)
Kozete (based on the novel " Les Miserables"; 1977)
Le scomunicate di San Valentino (1974) (loosely inspired by a drama by)
Sefiller (based on the novel " Les Miserables"; 1967)
L’uomo che ride (based on the novel “The Man Who Laughs”; 1966) (uncredited in Italian version)
Jean Valjean (1961) (based on the novel " Les Miserables"; 1961)
Les misérables (" Les Miserables"; 1958)
La déroute (1957) (story)
Nanbanji no semushi-otoko (1957) (novel "Notre Dame de Paris")
Notre Dame de Paris (1956) (novel)
Sea Devils (1953) (novel "Les Travailleurs de la mer")
La Gioconda (1953) (novel "Angelo, tyran de Padoue")
Les miserables (1952) (novel)
Re mizeraburu: kami to jiyu no hata (1950) (novel)
Re mizeraburu: kami to akuma (1950) (novel)
Ruy Blas (1948) (play)
I miserabili (1948) (novel “Les Misérables”)
Il tiranno di Padova (1946) (story)
Rigoletto (1946) (novel)
El rey se divierte (1944/I) (play)
El boassa (1944) (novel "Les Misérables")
Los miserables (1943) (novel)
Il re si diverte (1941) (play)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) (novel)
Les pauvres gens (1938) (writer)
Gavrosh (1937) (novel “Les Misérables”)
Toilers of the Sea (1936) (novel "Les Travailleurs de la mer")
Les misérables (1935) (novel)
Les misérables (1934) (novel)
Jean Valjean (1931) (novel “Les Misérables”)
Aa mujo: Kohen (1929) (novel)
Aa mujo: Zempen (1929) (novel)
The Bishop's Candlesticks (1929) (novel "Les Misérables")
The Man Who Laughs (1928) (novel “L’Homme Qui Rit”)
Rigoletto (1927) (play "Le Roi s'Amuse")
Les misérables (1925) (novel)
The Spanish Dancer (1923) (novella)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923/I) (novel “Notre-Dame de Paris”)
Toilers of the Sea (1923) (novel "Les Travailleurs de la mer")
Aa mujô - Dai nihen: Shichô no maki (1923) (story)
Aa mujô - Dai ippen: Hôrô no maki (1923) (story)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923/II) (novel)
Tense Moments with Great Authors (1922) (novel “Les Misérables”) (segment “Miserables, Les”)
Tense Moments from Great Plays (1922) (novel "Notre Dame de Paris") (segment "Esmeralda")
Esmeralda (1922) (novel “Notre Dame de Paris”)
Das grinsende Gesicht (1921) (novel “L’homme e qui rit”)
Der rote Henker (1920) (novel)
Quatre-vingt-treize (1920) (novel)
The Toilers (1919) (novel "Les Travailleurs de la mer")
Marion de Lorme (1918) (play)
Les travailleurs de la mer (1918) (novel)
Der König amüsiert sich (1918) (novel “Le Roi s’Amuse”)
Les misérables (1917) (novel)
Marie Tudor (1917) (play)
The Darling of Paris (1917) (novel “Notre Dame de Paris”)
Don Caesar de Bazan (1915) (novel "Ruy Blas")
The Bishop's Candlesticks (1913) (novel "Les Misérables")
Les misérables - Époque 4: Cosette et Marius (1913) (novel)
Les misérables - Époque 3: Cosette (1913) (novel)
Les misérables - Époque 2: Fantine (1913) (novel)
Les misérables - Époque 1: Jean Valjean (1913) (novel)
La tragedia di Pulcinella (1913) (play)
Marion de Lorme (1912) (writer)
Ruy-Blas (1912) (play)
Notre-Dame de Paris (1911) (novel “Notre Dame de Paris”)
Ernani (1911) (writer)
Hugo the Hunchback (1910) (novel)
Hernani (1910) (writer)
Les misérables (1909) (novel)
Rigoletto (1909/I) (writer)
Les misérables (Part III) (1909) (novel “Les Misérables”)
Le roi s'amuse (1909) (play)
Les miserables (Part II) (1909) (novel)
Les Miserables (Part I) (1909) (novel “Les Misérables”)
The Duke's Jester or A Fool's Revenge (1909) (novel "Le Roi s'Amuse")
A Fool’s Revenge (1909) (novel “Le Roi s’Amuse”)
Ruy Blas (1909) (play)
Rigoletto (1909/II) (play)
Esmeralda (1905) (novel “Notre Dame de Paris”)

Musical Theatre

1830 - “Ernani” (opera), composer V. Bellini
1836 - “Esmeralda” (opera), composer L. Bertin
1839 - “Esmeralda” (ballet), composer C. Pugni
1839 - “Esmeralda” (opera), composer A. Dargomyzhsky
1844 - “Ernani” (opera), composer G. Verdi
1851 - “Rigoletto” (opera), composer G. Verdi
1862 - “Marion Delorme” (opera), composer G. Bottesini
1869 - “Ruy Blas” (opera), composer F. Marchetti
1876 - “Angelo” (opera), composer Ts. Cui
1885 - “Marion Delorme” (opera), composer A. Ponchielli
80s - “Marion Delorme” (opera), composer P. Makarov
1880 - “La Gioconda” (opera), composer A. Ponchielli
1914 - “Notre Dame” (ballet), composer F. Schmidt
1980 - “Les Miserables” (musical), composer K.-M. Schoenberg
1998 - “Notre-Dame de Paris” (musical), composer P. Cocciante

French literature

Victor Hugo

Biography

HUGO, VICTOR (Hugo, Victor) (1802−1885), great French poet, novelist, playwright; leader of the romantic movement in France. Born on February 26, 1802 in Besançon, Victor Marie was the third son of Captain (later General) J. L. S. Hugo (originally from Lorraine) and Sophie Trebuchet (originally from Brittany). The parents were completely unsuitable for each other and often separated; On February 3, 1818, they received official permission to live separately. The boy was brought up under the strong influence of his mother, a strong-willed woman who shared royalist and Voltairian views. After the death of his wife in 1821, the father managed to return his son's love.

For a long time, Hugo's education was unsystematic. He spent several months at the Nobles College in Madrid; in France, the former priest Father de la Rivière became his mentor. In 1814 he entered the Cordier boarding school, from where the most capable students moved to the Lyceum of Louis the Great. His earliest poetic experiments date back to this period - mostly translations from Virgil. Together with his brothers, he undertook the publication of the magazine “The Literary Conservator” (“Le Conservateur littraire”), where his early works were published. poetic works and the first version of the melodramatic novel Bug Jargal (1821). He was accepted into the royalist "Society of Fine Literature". The infatuation with childhood friend Adele Foucher met with her mother’s decisive disapproval. After her death, her father allowed the lovers to meet, and this period of courtship was reflected in Letters to the Bride (Lettres la fiance). Hugo's first book of poetry, Odes et posies diverses (1822), was noticed by King Louis XVIII, who liked the odes in the royalist spirit. The mature poet was given an annual pension of 1,200 francs, which allowed Victor and Adele to get married on October 12, 1822.

The definition of “melancholy romantic” does not in any way fit Victor Hugo of the 1820s. A happy husband, a loving father and an unusually successful writer, he did not know the sorrows that are immortalized in prose or poetry. In 1823 he published his second novel, Han d'Islande, a Gothic-style narrative in the tradition of H. Walpole and M. Lewis's The Castle of Otranto. In 1828, the canonical edition of Odes et ballades was published; the vivid imagery of the ballads testified to the strengthening of romantic tendencies in his work.

Among Hugo's friends and acquaintances were such writers as A. de Vigny, A. de Saint-Valry, C. Nodier, E. Deschamps and A. de Lamartine. Having formed the Cenacle group (French for “community”, “commonwealth”) at the magazine “French Muse”, they often met in the salon of Nodier, the keeper of the Arsenal library. Hugo had a particularly close relationship with C. Sainte-Beuve, who wrote a laudatory review of Odes and Ballads in the Globe.

In 1827 Hugo published the play Cromwell, which was too long to be staged; her famous Preface became the culmination of all the simmering debates in France about the principles of dramatic art. Having given enthusiastic praise to Shakespeare's theater, Hugo attacked the unity of time, place and action so dear to the French, spoke out in favor of a more flexible system of versification and advocated for combining the sublime with the grotesque. This manifesto, as well as the poignantly human story The Last Day of a Man Condemned to Death (Le dernier jour d'un condamn, 1829) and the poetry collection Oriental Motifs (Les Orientales, 1829) brought Hugo fame.

The period from 1829 to 1843 was extremely productive in Hugo's work. In 1829, a play by Marion de Lorme appeared, banned by censorship for its impartial portrait of Louis XIII. In less than a month, Hugo wrote romantic drama Hernani. The scandalous premiere (February 25, 1830) was followed by other equally noisy performances. “The Battle of Hernani” ended not only with the triumph of the author of the play, but also with the victory of romanticism, which was finally consolidated by the success of Notre-Dame de Paris (1831). In a novel depicting Paris in the 15th century. and the great creation of Gothic, Hugo first appeared as a prose writer.

Marion Delorme was nevertheless installed on August 11, 1831; behind her they saw the light of the footlights The King Amuses himself (Le Roi s'amuse, 1832), Lucrezia Borgia (Lucrce Borgia, 1833), Marie Tudor (Marie Tudor, 1833), Angelo (Angelo, 1835), Ruy Blas (Ruy Blas, 1838) and the Burgraves (Les Burgraves, 1843). All of them, including the best of them, Ruy Blas, embodied the principles formulated in the “Preface” to “Cromwell.”

Important events happened in personal life Hugo. Sainte-Beuve fell in love with his wife, and the former friends went their separate ways. Hugo himself developed a passion for the actress Juliette Drouet, whom he met at the beginning of 1833. Their relationship continued until her death in 1883. The collections of lyric poems published from 1831 to 1840 were largely inspired by the poet’s personal experiences. IN Autumn leaves(Les Feuilles d'automne, 1831) alternates themes of nature and childhood. Songs of Twilight (Les Chants du crpuscules, 1835) included several poems of a political nature, the rest were inspired by feelings for Juliette. Melancholic in tone are Inner Voices (Les Voix intrieures, 1837), with their unusually touching poem dedicated to Brother Eugene, who died in a mental hospital. Thematically diverse, Rays and Shadows (Les Rayons et les ombres, 1840) reveal a craving for the acquisition of faith. An act of humanity was Hugo's novel Claude Gueux (1834), which was not only directed against the death penalty, but also saw the root of all evil in the problem of poverty. In 1834, a collection of critical essays, Literary and Philosophical Mixture (Littrature et philosophie mles), previously published in full or in fragments, was also published.

In 1841, Hugo's merits were recognized by the French Academy, which elected him as a member. In 1842, he published a book of travel notes, Rhine (Le Rhin, 1842), in which he sets out his program of international relations, calling for cooperation between France and Germany. In 1843, the poet experienced a tragedy: his beloved daughter Leopoldina and her husband Charles Vacry drowned in the Seine. Having retired from society for a while, Hugo went to work on the great novel Misfortunes (Les Misre), interrupted by the revolution of 1848. Hugo entered politics and was elected to the National Assembly; after the coup d'etat on December 2, 1851, he fled to Brussels, from there he moved to the island. Jersey, where he spent three years, and then (1855) settled on the island of Guernsey.

After the collapse of Napoleon III's regime in 1870, at the very beginning of the Franco-Prussian War, Hugo returned with Juliette to Paris. For many years he resisted the empire and became a living symbol of the republic. His reward was a deafeningly solemn meeting. Having the opportunity to leave the capital before the advance of enemy troops, he chose to remain in the besieged city. Elected to the National Assembly in 1871, Hugo soon resigned as a deputy in protest against the policies of the conservative majority. The death of his son Charles and the worries associated with caring for his grandchildren explain his absence from Paris during the Commune and civil war. Evidence of his patriotism and loss of illusions regarding Germany, to an alliance with which he called on France since 1842, was the collection The Terrible Year (L "Anne terrible, 1872). In 1874, indifferent to the successes of the naturalistic school, Hugo again turned to the historical novel, writing the novel Ninety-third year (Quatre-vingt-treize). At the age of 75, he published not only the second part of the Legend of the Ages, but also the collection The Art of Being a Grandfather (L"Art d'tre grand-pre), the creation of which was inspired by Charles's children. The final part of the Legend of the Ages was published in 1883. In the same year, Juliette Drouet died. After this, Hugo began to noticeably lose control. In May 1885, Hugo fell ill and died at home on May 22. The state funeral became not only a tribute to a great man, but also the apotheosis of the glorification of Republican France. Hugo's remains were placed in the Pantheon, next to Voltaire and J.-J. Rousseau. Posthumous publications of Hugo: The End of Satan (La Fin de Satan, 1886), Theater and Freedom (Thtre et libert, 1886), Experiences (Choses vues, 1887), Amy Robsart (Amy Robsart, 1889), Alps and Pyrenees (Alpes et Pyrnes) , 1890), God (Dieu, 1891), France and Belgium (France et Belgique, 1892), Complete Set (Toute la lyre, 1888, 1893), Ocean (Ocan, 1897), The Last Sheaf (Dernire gerbe, 1902), Afterword to my life (Postscriptum de ma vie, 1895), The Sinister Years (Les Annes funestes, 1898), The Stones (Pierres, 1951), Personal Memoirs (Souvenirs personnels, 1952).

Victor Hugo - famous French romantic writer, playwright (1802−1885) Born on February 26, 1802 in Besançon. Victor was the third son of a captain, and later a general, of Napoleonic army. His parents often quarreled and periodically lived separately and, ultimately, they divorced permanently in 1818. Victor Hugo's upbringing was greatly influenced by his mother. Her royalist and Voltairean views left a deep imprint on Victor. His father was able to return his son's love only after the death of his wife in 1821. For a long time, Hugo's education remained unsystematic. Only in 1814 did he enter the Cordier boarding school, and then move to the Lyceum of Louis the Great.

In 1821, after graduating from the Lyceum, Victor Hugo and his brothers published the magazine “Literary Conservator”, in which his first poetic works were published. King Louis XVIII drew attention to Hugo's first collection of poems, published in 1822. Victor Hugo was given a pension of 1,200 francs annually, thanks to which he was able to marry his beloved Adele on October 12, 1822.

In 1831, Victor Hugo’s work “Notre Dame Cathedral” was published and occupied a special place in his work. In this novel, Hugo brilliantly described 15th-century Paris and the great creation of Gothic art.

In 1841, Hugo received recognition from the French Academy for his services and became its member. In 1843, a tragedy occurred in the poet's family: his beloved daughter Leopoldine drowned in the Seine along with her husband Charles Vacry. With the onset of the revolution in 1848, Hugo began to engage in politics and was elected to the National Assembly. In December 1851, after the coup d'etat, he fled to Brussels, and in 1855 settled on the island of Guernsey. With the collapse of Napoleon III's regime in 1870, Victor Hugo returned to Paris.

In 1872, Hugo resigned as a deputy of the National Assembly due to protest against the policies of the conservative majority and the loss of illusions regarding Germany, with which he had been calling for an alliance with France since 1842.

Hugo died in 1885. After his death, he was given a state funeral and his remains were placed in the Pantheon.

Hugo (1802 – 1885)

Victor Hugo was born in 1802. French writer(poet, novelist and playwright), head and theorist of French romanticism. Member French Academy (1841 ).

Hugo's early childhood took place in Marseille, Corsica, Elba (1803-1805), Italy (1807), Madrid (1811), where his father worked, and from where the family returned to Paris each time. Victor studied at the Madrid Noble Seminary, and they wanted to enroll him as a page of the king. Traveling left deep impressions in the soul of the future poet and prepared his romantic worldview.

Enters college in Madrid. In 1819, Hugo founded the magazine.

Victor Hugo very early declared himself as the leader of the movement of romanticism. Since his youth, he has dreamed of “becoming Chateaubriand or nothing.”

Passionately interested in all genres (poetry, theater, novel, essay), taking an active part in social and political battles, he was remembered by the people of his and subsequent generations both for the scale of his genius and for his human generosity.

At the age of 14 he begins creative activity. He writes his unpublished tragedies: drama, translates Virgil, at the age of 15 he already receives an honorable mention at the Academy competition for a poem, in 1819 - two prizes at the competition for the poem “The Maidens of Verdun” and the ode “For the restoration of the statue of Henry IV”, which laid the foundation for his “Legend” centuries";

In October 1822 Hugo married Adele Foucher(1803 - 1868), five children were born in this marriage

Like many young writers of his era, Hugo was greatly influenced by Francois Chateaubriand, a well-known figure in the literary movement romanticism and an outstanding figure France started 19th century. As a young man, Hugo decided to be " Chateaubriand or no one", and that his life should correspond to that of his predecessor. Like Chateaubriand, Hugo will contribute to the development of romanticism and will have a significant place in politics as a leader republicanism, and will be exiled due to his political positions.

Early born passion and eloquence early works Hugo's brought him success and fame in his early years. His first collection of poetry, Odes and Various Poems, was published in 1822, when Hugo was only 20 years old. King Louis XVIII an annual allowance was granted to the writer. Although Hugo's poems were admired for their spontaneous ardor and fluency, this collection of works was followed by a collection of Odes and Ballads, written in 1826.

Victor Hugo's first mature work in the genre of fiction, “The Last Day of a Man Condemned to Death,” was written in 1829 and reflected the writer’s keen social consciousness, which continued in his subsequent works. The story had a great influence on such writers as Albert Camus, Charles Dickens And F. M. Dostoevsky., a short documentary story about a real-life murderer who was executed in France, saw the light in 1834 and was subsequently regarded by Hugo himself as a harbinger of his magnificent work on social injustice Les Miserables . But Hugo's first full-fledged novel will be incredibly successful Notre Dame Cathedral , which was published in 1831 and quickly translated into many languages throughout Europe. One of the effects of the novel was to draw attention to the desolate Notre Dame Cathedral, which began to attract thousands of tourists who read the popular novel. The book also contributed to a renewed respect for old buildings, which were immediately actively preserved.

Lyricism. Devoting himself to oriental themes, the fashion for which re-emerged thanks to the victorious uprising of the Greeks against the Turkish yoke (“ Oriental motifs", 1829), Hugo glorifies the disease of the century, about which Chateaubriand had already written. But his melancholy is of a special nature. There is a vague and inexplicable feeling of guilt in her.

Hugo's romanticism contains spiritual dramas of incredible proportions and is deeply embedded in human consciousness. Three collections written in completely different styles - “ Songs of Twilight"(1835), " Inner voices"(1837), " Rays and shadows"(1840) - convey the author's thoughts on various topics: political reflections, personal memories, reflections on art, history and nature, moral and philosophical topics.

Theater. In his dramaturgy, Hugo expresses the desire to displace ancient tragedy and replace it with a new genre that brings modern society to the stage. In the "Preface" to " Cromwell“He contrasts classical tragedy with romantic drama, in which the grotesque and the sublime are mixed. He brings to the stage the damned, rejected by society people

Novel. Touching broad sections of the public, Hugo's novels promote humanistic, sublime ideas. The rich material they contain and the writer's imagination make it possible to develop a convincing historical frame. IN " Notre Dame Cathedral» Hugo resurrects 15th-century Paris. with its Court of Miracles, inhabited by beggars, and the cathedral, enlivened by a hectic nightlife. But the historical novel quickly gives way to the social novel, in which the brotherhood of man and social progress are glorified: this is especially true for “ Les Miserables" An epic dedicated to the French Revolution " Ninety-third year” unfolds into a broad epic canvas: the bloody vicissitudes of the Revolution are redeemed by a few exceptional lives acting in accordance with their own conscience.

"Les Miserables" a combination of historical and social novels. Resurrecting the struggle at Waterloo and the revolution of 1830, Hugo gives a vivid picture of the horrors of capitalism, poverty, prostitution, and crime. Hugo strives with his novel to help resolve “the three main, in his opinion, questions of our time: the humiliation of man by the position of the proletarian, the fall of women due to hunger, the absorption of children in the darkness of the night.”

"The Man Who Laughs"

To convince those in power to follow his ideal, Hugo threatens them with troubles that will befall them if they do not change their attitude towards the socially humiliated and bring them to despair. Hugo puts these speeches into the mouth of Gwynplaine “The Man Who Laughs.” Gwynplaine is a lord by birth, sold as a child by his relatives, who wanted to eliminate him as an heir, to the “comprachicos” (“child buyers”). They disfigured him: his face always expresses laughter. Having learned all the horrors of social cruelty, by a happy coincidence he became a lord again. Enriched by his experience, in the House of Lords he predicts a revolt of the desperate, their reprisal against their tormentors.

But the novel “The Man Who Laughs” is not a call for rebellion, but only a method of persuasion, a desire to thus move the rich “from evil to good.”

Hugo his last novel "93"(1874) builds on the contrast of the “republic of mercy” - the monarchy and the republic of terror and forces Cimourdain, the bearer of the ideas of the Convention, the ideas of the “republic of terror,” to morally capitulate before Gauvin, before the idea of the republic of mercy.

This novel ends the path of Hugo the novelist. Hugo the novelist began with the historical “Notre Dame de Paris.” Here the novel of romance found its most perfect expression. Love for the past, fantastic fiction, exoticism, grotesque, extensive historical excursions, often repeated author's digressions - all these elements of romantic creativity as the basis for affirming the ideas of goodness, beauty, justice.

From the historical novel, Hugo moved on to a social novel about modernity, built on the same principles, then in the novel “93” he once again returned to the historical novel, where socio-ideological symbolism is most naked: not only human images, but also objects, both cities and historical events, and political institutions are always categories of good and evil, symbols of “movement from evil to good”, “from shadow to light”.

Hugo dies in 1885. In 1888 - 1893. Published posthumously The whole lira».

The famous French poet and writer Victor Marie Hugo was born in Besançon, the son

officer Sigisbert Hugo, who later became a general and count of the first empire,

and the daughter of a Nantes shipowner, royalist Sophie Trebuchet.

Getting ready for military career, Victor accompanied his father on his business trips to

Italy. Already his youthful poetic works were commended

reviews and even awards.

Young Victor Hugo ambitiously said to himself: “I will be Chateaubriand, or nothing.”

Having received a pension of 1000 (and later 2000) francs from King Louis XVIII, Hugo

married Adele Foucher and devoted his life to literary work.

Victor Hugo lived almost the entire 19th century. He began by imitating subtle aesthetics

Chateaubriand, and entered world literature with social novels, the essence of which

can be defined in its own words. "Wake up, the man is in poverty, the people are crushed

injustice" By this he gained the sincere love of readers. Hugo did not become like

Chateaubriand, write on religious topics, no, he began to call on people before

in all things, to fulfill the commandment of Christ about love for one’s neighbor, about mercy and compassion.

Hugo was not only a writer, poet and playwright, but also a politician.

King Louis Philippe awarded him a peerage, but when the power changed - to the throne

Napoleon III ascended, the writer was forced to leave France, he lived in exile

for more than 20 years, the reason for emigration was Hugo’s uncompromising position on issues

as they would say today, human rights. "I hate all oppression, but

The peoples of the earth are groaning under a heavy yoke,” he wrote. - When I see how he suffers

Greece under the heel of Turkey, how bloody Ireland is dying, like Austria is dying

with a stick, a shameful and heavy scepter breaks the wing of the Venetian lion, like Vienna

holds Milan in its claws - oh, then I curse all tyrants, I feel

that the poet is their judge. Then I abandon the tender songs and tie to my lyre

copper string."

Hugo was, of course, a romantic. "The first need of man, his first right,

his first duty is freedom,” he never tired of repeating. French Revolution

1789 became the main source of Hugo's work. "The revolution, the whole revolution in

in general - this is the source of literature of the nineteenth century." "Romanticism and socialism -

one and the same phenomenon,” the writer believed.

thought is the fundamental thought of all art of the nineteenth century, and in this

thoughts Victor Hugo, as an artist, was almost the first herald. This

Christian and highly moral thought; its formula is the restoration of the deceased

a person crushed unfairly by the pressure of circumstances, the stagnation of centuries and

social prejudices. This thought is the justification of the humiliated and rejected by everyone

pariahs of society. Of course, allegory is unthinkable in such an artistic

works such as Notre Dame de Paris. But who won't come to

head that Quasimodo is the personification of the oppressed and despised

medieval French people, deaf and disfigured, gifted only

terrible physical strength, but in which love and thirst finally awaken

justice, and with them the consciousness of one’s truth and those still untouched,

endless powers theirs."

In 1862, Hugo completed his novel Les Misérables. Dostoevsky even appreciated it

above his novel Crime and Punishment. Hugo wrote it for thirty years. He

attached great importance to this novel, believing that books like

"Les Miserables" are capable of reorganizing society.

This exciting, adventure novel contains social issues at its core.

Problems. Former convict Jean Valjean, sentenced to twenty years for theft

bread for his starving nephews, almost ends up on trial again for

stealing silver candelabra from the temple, but was saved by the bishop. Deed

the bishop amazes Jean so much that over time he himself degenerates morally,

becomes an ascetic and a righteous man. Until the end of his days he provides

selfless help to everyone who needs it.

The antithesis and “evil genius” of the main character of the novel is the police inspector.

Javert - "a savage in the service of civilization, a strange combination of a Roman,

a Spartan, a monk and a corporal, a spy incapable of lying and an immaculate detective."

Throughout the novel, the detective pursues Valjean. The last one lets go

Javert, sentenced to death by the insurgents. A little later and Javert lets go

sacrifice, but unable to bear the insoluble contradiction between conscience and duty,

commits suicide.

The book contains many dramatic scenes from people's life - the Parisian uprising in July

1832, the death of the heroes of the barricade battles. We all remember the story from childhood

Gavroche. Gavroche is one of the characters in this novel.

Once on the barricade, Jean Valjean does not take part in the battle, he is outside

politics, he is the spiritual son of a bishop. But Valjean saves Marius and ends up

a real hero. And he saves in the name of the future, in order to make Cosette happy.

But symbolically, this is perceived as an opportunity to make France happy.

Hugo comes to the conclusion that barricades cannot solve all social problems,

that in essence they are resolved on the narrow bridgehead of the human soul, the individual

consciousness. But only after going through Great Revolution, the main character of the novel Jean

Valjean turns into an apostle of goodness and justice.

In his next novel, Ninety-Third, Hugo depicts the revolution as

"purifying crucible" in which modern civilization is melted. But when

human" becomes the highest criterion, Truth and Justice. Simurdin

kills himself after passing a sentence on Gauvain, which is fair only from the point of view

from a politician's point of view.

"We want to follow a gentle path towards progress... Smoothing out the unevenness of the path is

This is the whole policy of God,” Hugo came to this thought at the end of his life.

Victor Hugo's talent reached heights that only the world's greatest

poets. Thanks to the combination of romantic and realistic in his work

elements, he introduced a new stream into French poetry, which over time

was destined to turn into a broad current and affect almost all

later outstanding works this literature. No wonder Flaubert read

Hugo and considered him his first and most influential teacher, and one authoritative

the critic called his influence on French literature "limitless."

Hugo died in Paris at the age of 83. He was mourned by all of France, in the last

Almost a million people followed the path of the great writer.

Victor Hugo. Biography and review of creativity

Victor Marie Hugo - great French romantic writer, poet, playwright, novelist, born February 26, 1802. World fame came to Hugo as an author of novels, but in France he is rightly valued as a wonderful poet.

V. Hugo was born in Besançon into the family of an officer in the Napoleonic army. The future writer’s mother, on the contrary, hated Napoleon and was a royalist, in other words, a supporter of the exiled royal Bourbon dynasty.

The writer's early childhood took place in Corsica, Marseille, Elba, Italy - in general, wherever his father served. These travels left a very vivid imprint on Hugo’s mind and shaped his romantic worldview. His parents separated when Victor was still a child, and, remaining to live with his mother in Paris, in his early youth Hugo shared his mother’s political sympathies. Only in adulthood did he develop democratic convictions. Hugo's literary talent manifested itself very early: at the age of thirteen he began writing, at fourteen he published a literary magazine with his brother, at fifteen he became a laureate of two literary academies, and at seventeen he received a pension from the king for his ode. At the same time, Hugo is one of the most notable “long-livers” in literature: his artistic gift did not fade until his death, and his later poems and novels are excellent evidence of this. Hugo was the leader of French romanticism, the author of the famous Romantic Manifesto, and headed a literary circle. The authority of the writer helped him in social activities, where Hugo was always on the side of the oppressed, persecuted, and rejected, and this also won love and appreciation throughout the world, as well as with his creativity.

In the fall of 1822, the writer married Adele Fuiga, who subsequently bore him five children. In 1823, Hugo published the novel “Gan the Icelander,” which was subjected to fairly fair criticism by Charles Nodier, who later became a friend of the writer and had a serious influence on his work. Hugo and his wife often hold receptions, inviting such famous figures as P. Merime, A. Lamartine, E. Delacroix, G. Berlioz, F. Liszt and others. In 1824 and 1834. Accordingly, his novels “The Last Day of the Condemned to Execution” and “Claude Gue” were published, in which the writer reflected his categorically negative attitude towards the death penalty. In 1831 his great “Notre Dame Cathedral” was published.

Until 1843, Hugo devoted himself almost entirely to theatrical work, releasing only a few collections of poetry.

In 1841, Hugo was elected to the French Academy, and in 1845 he received the title of peer. In 1848 he was elected to the National Assembly. Hugo was an ardent opponent of the coup d'état of 1851 and was in exile after Napoleon III was proclaimed emperor. In 1870 he returned to France, and in 1876 he was elected senator.

In the 1860s. Hugo writes one of his most famous novels, The Man Who Laughs. It took two to write. years and two months of preparation to collect material about the history of England in the 17th century.

At the age of 83, on May 22, 1885, the great French writer died of pneumonia. The funeral ceremony lasted ten days and was attended by more than a million people.

"Notre Dame Cathedral"

To write this great work, V. Hugo collected historical material for three years. He studied in detail the history of France in the 15th century, the period of the reign of Louis XI and the architectural features of the cathedral itself. However, he created the novel very quickly - in just six months, imprinting the 1830 revolution on it.

The entire action of the novel takes place against the backdrop of life in Paris. The first scene of the work is a city celebration, the last is a popular riot. It is through the spirit of the people that the author conveys to us main image works - Notre Dame Cathedral: “...the huge Cathedral of Notre Dame, emerging in the starry sky with the black silhouette of its two towers, stone sides and monstrous croup, like a two-headed sphinx dozing in the middle of the city...*. Hugo's special gift was always to animate inanimate objects. So the cathedral in his work lives its own, independent life, representing an example of the folk Middle Ages. This majestic and powerful building, which was built by unknown craftsmen, is an expression of the people's spirit - a representative folk art. This is the pinnacle of human fantasy.

V. Hugo masterfully conveys the flavor of the era. But at the same time, he does not depict any specific historical events, but skillfully recreates everyday life in a romantic way, bright and colorful.

Historical characters such as Louis XI do not become central figures in the novel. Fictional characters come to the fore, whose names and images the author drew from historical sources. In his work, the author deliberately pits positive and negative characters against one another, compares them, revealing to readers a sharp discrepancy between the inner world and the outer shell. This is especially clearly shown in the example of Quasimodo, whose external ugliness is combined with the beauty of his soul. While the handsome and brave Phoebus turns out to be selfish, stupid and ignorant. The events of the novel take place at the turn of two eras, when the Middle Ages were fading into the past and giving way to the Renaissance. The author showed this in the confrontation between the two heroes of his novel - Frollo and Esmeralda. A cruel and rude religious fanatic ends up destroying a kind and beautiful girl. The entire action of the novel takes place against the backdrop of the beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral, which seems to bind all the heroes of the novel together with its eternal and impregnable power.

2. "Les Miserables"

The novel “Les Miserables” (1862) is the pinnacle of V. Hugo’s work both as a novelist and as a defender of the people. This is a social epic novel, again in the spirit of romanticism.

Even at the beginning of his writing career, Hugo wanted to talk about the life of the lowest strata of society, about the life of the poor, orphans, and convicts. For almost thirty years, the writer collected material for this novel, which was ready only in 1862.

Jean Valjean returned from hard labor as a bitter man who hated everyone and everything. Fortunately for him, he ends up with an old Catholic bishop, who changes his whole life, even forgiving him for the theft of silverware. Meeting with pure and kind person transforms a former convict. He organizes a factory for the production of black glass products, providing work for the residents of the whole city, and later becomes its mayor.

There are two ways to change society - revolution or goodness. It is the opposition of these two methods that runs through the entire novel. The search for a solution is very difficult, tense and at the same time shown very artistically and colorfully.

The work enjoyed well-deserved popularity in Russia, its fans were such writers as L. N. Tolstoy and F. M. Dostoevsky.