1802-1885. French poet, novelist, and
dramatist. The Odes et poesies diverses
appeared 1822, and his verse play Hernani
1830 established him as the leader of French
Romanticism. More volumes of verse followed
between his series of dramatic novels, which
included The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1831 and
Les Miserables 1862. Born at Besancon, Hugo
was the son of one of Napoleon's generals.
Originally a monarchist, his support of
republican ideals in the 1840s led to his
banishment 1851 for opposing Louis Napoleon's
coup d'etat. He lived in exile in Guernsey
until the fall of the empire 1870, later
becoming a senator under the Third Republic.
He died a national hero and is buried in the
Pantheon, Paris.