Victor Hugo (1802-85) is an icon of French culture. He achieved immense success as a poet, dramatist, and novelist, and he was also elected to both houses of the French Parliament. Leading the Romantic campaign against artistic tradition and defying the Second Empire in exile, he became synonymous with the progressive ideals of the French Revolution. His state funeral in Paris made headlines across the world, and his breadth of appeal remains evident today, not least thanks to the popularity of his bestseller, Les Miserables, and its myriad theatrical and cinematic incarnations. This biography provides a comprehensive exploration of Hugo's monumental body of work within the context of his dramatic life. Hugo wrestled with family tragedy and personal misgivings while being pulled into the turmoil of the 19th century, from the fall of Napoleon's Empire to the rise of France's Third Republic.

Bradley Stephens is a senior lecturer in French at the University of Bristol. His books include Victor Hugo, Jean-Paul Sartre, and the Liability of Liberty; 'Les Misérables' and its Afterlives: Between Page, Stage, and Screen, coedited with Kathryn M. Grossman; and Approaches to Teaching Hugo's 'Les Misérables', coedited with Michal P. Ginsburg.