Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo (1802–1885) was a French writer, poet, dramatist, political journalist, and politician. A leading figure of French Romanticism, he wrote poetry, novels, and plays. His best-known works include *The Hunchback of Notre-Dame* (*Notre-Dame de Paris*), *Les Misérables*, *Hernani*, *Ruy Blas*, *The Punishments* (*Les Châtiments*), and *The Contemplations* (*Les Contemplations*). Hugo was elected to the Académie française in 1841. Because of his opposition to Napoleon III, he lived in exile for nearly two decades from 1851, including periods on Jersey and Guernsey. He died in Paris and was buried in the Panthéon.