Hugo, Victor

Victor - Marie Hugo is known abroad for his novels, especially Les Misérables and Notre - Dame de Paris, but in France for his poetry and plays.  More a leftist with each passing year, he was forced into exile during the reign of Napoleon III and lived briefly in Belgium.  Hugo was a political man, speaking out against the death penalty and in favor of pacifism and freedom of the press.  In his youth, he was a Catholic but later was a Spiritualist and a Deist.

Illustrious French poet, novelist, dramatist, and a highly influential figure of the Romantic Movement. A scholar of medieval Christianity, he is known for using the history of its churches, martyrs, and saints as a backdrop for his works.