‘A writer is a world trapped in a person.’

— Victor Hugo

Victor-Marie Hugo (born 26 February 1802 – died 22 May 1885) was a French romance writer and politician. He wrote in a variety of genres and forms over a literary career that spanned more than sixty years. He is considered to be one of the greatest French writers of all time.

Victor Hugo’s most famous, and recognisable, works are the novels The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831) and Les Misérables (1862). In France, he is famous for his poetry collections, such as Les Contemplations and La Légende des siècles. Many of his works have inspired music, both during his lifetime and after his death, including the opera Rigoletto and the musicals Les Misérables and Notre-Dame de Paris.