I just want to say that my  heart goes out to all those affected by the tragedy today in Boston.  I live near Boston, I  went to school there, I have friends who live close by,  so I feel it’s close to me.

 

In addition to a novelist, poet, dramatist and writer Hugo was a a wonderful artist. Many of his works have survived. I really like his artwork. It has a whimsical fantasy aspect to it, at least from my point of view. I love have he used colors, his quality of lines and his use of positive and negative space.

Here are a view examples of his work but you can see more HERE

Victor Hugo The Snake c1866 picture image

Victor Hugo The Snake c1866

Victor Hugo Octopus with the initials V.H picture image

Victor Hugo Octopus with the initials V.H

 

Victor Hugo Mushroom picture image

Victor Hugo Mushroom

 

 

Hunchback of Notre Dame Character Illustration by Francois Joseph Aime De Lemud

Hunchback of Notre Dame Character Illustration by Francois Joseph Aime De Lemud

Hugo’s first  novel major was successful Notre Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame), which was published in 1831 and was very successful. The novel  shamed Paris into restoring the then neglected Cathedral which was attaching many tourist because of the Book. It also inspired a renewed appreciation for pre-Renaissance buildings, which began to be actively preserved.  So Notre Dame as tourist attraction is largely due to Hugo and the book

Builded you own 3D Puzzle of Notre Dame of Paris

 

Victor Hugo picture image

Victor Hugo

Portrait of Adele Hugo by Gemaelde von Louis Boulanger image

Portrait of Adele Hugo by Gemaelde von Louis Boulanger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Victor Hugo married the girl next door, Adèle Foucher. Hugo’s mother, Sophie, was against the match but after her death he married Adèle  on October 14 1822. They had five children together. In 1830,  after their youngest daughter (named Adèle ) was born  the elder Adèle told Hugo that  she didn’t want anymore children which was code for no more sex. Both Hugo and the Adèle took lovers.  However it was the expulsion from Adèle bed’s that was the inspiration for Phoebus‘ tragic fate of getting married Notre Dame de Paris.

 

Further Reading

Victor Hugo: A Biography
Love Letters of Great Men: The Collection of Love Letters Drawn from by Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex in the City”
Hugo: The Strange Life and Visions of Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo's Daughter, Adèle picture image

Victor Hugo’s Daughter, Adèle

Did you know that Victor Hugo youngest child, Adele developed a romantic obsession a British military officer  who rejected and nearly destroyed her. Kind of sounds like  an mash-up of Frollo and Esmeralda. Adele’s love-life allludes to Notre Dame but it was by no means inspired it. Adele was born one year before Notre Dame’s publication.

There have been several biographies published on Adele Hugo but I really enjoyed the 1975 movie directed by François Truffaut and  starring Isabelle Adjani called The Story of Adele H.

 

Note- For the Month of Setember every Monday I’m going to try post a Victor Hugo trivia that relates to Notre Dame.

Hunchback of Notre Dame Graphic Novel by Tim A Conrad

Hunchback of Notre Dame Graphic Novel by Tim A Conrad

Today marks the release of Tim Conrad’s Graphic Novel version of Hunchback of Notre Dame.  So far it’s gotten mixed reviews but I’ll you  be the judge of it that till I get my hands on it and find something the comment on (other than Esmeralda’s red hair).

Click here to order it from Amazon