Hans of Iceland

Originally written in 1821 this ingenious work gives a tolerably faithful picture of the age that produced it. Victor Hugo (1802-1885) was a novelist, poet and dramatist, most important of the French Romantic writers. Among Hugo's best-known works are The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables. Hugo invented his own version of the historical novel, combining the local color and historical detail of Honoré de Balzac and the spiritual discourse of George Sand. Hugo died in Paris on May 22, 1885. He was given at his death a national funeral. It was attended by two million people. Victor Hugo is buried in the Panthéon.