VICTOR-MARIE HUGO

French romantic writer. The author of the novels "Notre Dame de Paris" (1831), "Les Miserables" (1862), "The Man Who Laughs" (1869). After the coup he emigrated, published a political pamphlet, "Napoleon Small" (1852) and a collection of satirical poems, "Vengeance" (1853).

Hugo struck his personality versatility. One of the most widely read French writers in the world, for his countrymen, he first great national poet, the reformer of French poetry, drama, and the writer-patriot, politician, democrat. Connoisseurs know him as an outstanding master schedules, tireless draftsman fantasies on the theme of their own works, in which he competed with Turner and anticipated Odilon Redon. But the thing that defines this multi-faceted personality and animated her work - it is love.

Victor Hugo, Marie was born on 7 vantoza X years of the revolutionary calendar (February 26, 1802) in Besancon, where his father, Joseph Leopold Hugo Sizhisber was not long before appointed to command the 20th Army polubrigadoy. At the time of birth of the future writer of his parents (his mother - nee Sophie-Francoise trebuchet) were married for five years, and they already had two sons - Abel and Eugene. We walked the last few years of the republican system, "from under Bonaparte, Napoleon had already looked through," as Victor Hugo later, but before the Concordat with the Pope and the consolidation of the church was far away, and it is not surprising that the newborn, apparently, was not baptized and remained as such all my life.

Hugo's childhood took place with a father, mother, the guesthouse, where he identified his father's insistence, in order to give a systematic character of his learning and reduce the maternal influence.

However, in 14 years, Hugo has found fluency alexandrine, the ability to find for each piece its own style of literary language, the ability to skillfully pick epithets. The young poet was quite ambitious, and already in 1816 expressed his desire to compete with Chateaubriand, a leading French writers of the time: "I want to be Chateaubriand or nothing. " His first steps on a literary career brought him success: in 1817 he received a reward withdrawal of the French Academy, in 1819 Academy Awards floral games at Toulouse. These successes have made an impression on his father Hugo, and he refused to see his son certainly a student of the Ecole Polytechnique, and then did not insist on the continuation of their employment rights, which started in 1818 and abandoned in 1821.

At the end of college Hugo lived with his brothers in the mother that supported his literary inclinations and helped with their advice to take the first steps on the chosen path.

At the same time Hugo swept by a strong sense of Adele Foucher, the daughter of old friends of his family, but his mother opposed the marriage of Hugo, since Foucher and family, because the young man did not have a firm position in society. Spouses Foucher, fearing persecution unfortunate Victor, decided to take away for the summer in Adel Dre, who is eighty leagues from Paris. They knew perfectly well that the boy could not scrape together the necessary 25 francs needed to travel back to the coach. But they did not know Hugo - love Dre went on foot! Pierre Foucher, struck such a passionate love, even wept. From now on, the young were allowed to correspond and to meet every week.

After the death of his mother (June 1821), Hugo caused the great sorrow, and assign a monthly pension of 1,000 francs in the courtyard of the release of the June 1822 book "Ode" impediments to marriage is not, and October 12, 1822 held its marriage in the Paris church of Saint-Sulpice. August 28, 1824 had a daughter, Leopoldina, in 1826 - the son of Charles, then a daughter and son-Dada, Francois-Victor.

1831 marked the beginning of a new period in the life and creative path of Hugo. The writer has achieved much - scored impressive victories in the field of lyric poetry, drama and prose.

Photo — «Victor-marie Hugo»

We can say that his literary youth was over. At the same time cracking family life Hugo became involved in his wife Adele novice writer Saint-Bev, after which the relations of the spouses Hugo became purely formal.

. . . February 2, 1833, at the premiere of Victor Hugo was almost calm. Exceptional sympathy with which his play was "Lucrezia Borgia" Actors Theatre of the Porte-Saint-Martin, inspired hope for success and the audience. Actually, it was the old play, "Dinner at Ferrara," but only with changed on the advice of the Director of the theater Garel, more aptly named.

Victor imagination all the time returned by the third act, when the stage was a divine princess Negroni, played by actress Juliette Drouet. Just a few remarks, a few steps - and appeared on stage look glamorous Italian woman with a lethal smile. The audience devoured this amazing beautiful eyes, could not take his gaze from her and Victor Hugo.

Even during rehearsals, without noticing that he has to deal with it differently than the other actresses: respectfully kissed her hand, and never applied to "you". He was told that she was disappointed at first as a short role, but then said: "In the plays of Mr. Hugo is no small roles . . . "

And in the soul of the writer zateplilos something more than gratitude. He recalled that once, in May last year saw her at the ball, young, sparkling jewels and slender, as it were, embodied grace of ancient sculpture. Victor did not dare then come to one of the most brilliant beauties of Paris and barely concealed delight, watched her.

Even before the premiere, he tried to find a theater director all about this woman. Unfortunately, the data were too sparse: Garel could only say that Juliette 26 years, that two years ago she joined the troupe, and the audience loved her not only for his talent as for her beauty. Of course, the young actress had to dress well, to adorn themselves with jewelry, and small funds earned in the theater was not enough, and it shared the fate of many of her beautiful friends in the profession - led the life of expensive courtesan. She had a lot of debt, but it is cheerful and merry, true child of the time, believed in his star, which would bring her a success on stage and the money or true love.

The next day, Victor was back in the theater. This time, after the show up writer in the tiring house Juliette Drouet. The actress revealed to him, and the look of Victor met with her black, full of tenderness eyes. It seemed as though a ray of sunlight stretched out her heart as the light of dawn, fell in ruins.

From the first rehearsal, Juliette realized that Victor Hugo - a man whom she had been waiting all my life. She became scared and happy at the thought that she loved the great writer, who lives a bright, full of life somewhere far away, at an unattainable for her fallen woman, height. In fact, anything but beautiful, poor girl could attract him? After all, she had no title, no status, no glory stars of the stage, it was only a girl of the people, an unknown actress, courtesan indebted to creditors . . . With desperate courage, tact and graceful coquetry temptress began to conquer the heart of one who was known as a Puritan, inaccessible to female charms. In truth, the inaccessibility of Hugo's already cracked - he passionately wanted to be conquered by Juliette.

Unlike earlier, bohemian friends actress Victor was shy and hesitant. Only 14 of February they went together to the ball. Two days later, she heard from his lips long coveted words: "I love you! . . "

Thus began a love which completely changed the life of Juliette Drouet. It lasted half a century - fifty years of devotion, selflessness, loyalty - and was extinguished only with the death of this remarkable woman. In order to be close to Victor, when he would call to worship and serve him, she gave up everything from theatrical career, from a free life with friends, from the most expensive for any woman - happy to have a home and family, she volunteered condemned itself to almost monastic seclusion, and even put up with the disenfranchised and bitter situation of "friends" of the poet.

Photo — «Victor-marie Hugo»

She insulted, humiliated, forced to suffer, but she was faithful to him and kept until the last days of his love with the imperishable freshness.

In June 1834 he finished the story, "Claude Gay" and gave it to Juliette, writing on the title page: "My angel, whose wings grow back. " However, their relations were not smooth. He was jealous of her. Angered by a woman, could not stand the offensive suspicion away from him, but soon returned to his formidable and adored master.

Since Juliette break with the past, it has become very poor. Her harassed by creditors. In order to somehow pay them, it laid almost all her jewelry and even clothing. At the request of Victor it just counted the amount of their debts - they turned out 20,000 francs! The writer was speechless when I heard a figure, even his sensational novel "Notre Dame de Paris" brought the money to three times less. Burst into a violent scene at the end of which he ran out, slamming the door, "Farewell forever!"

The next day, he felt remorse: Who, if not he should help his beloved escape from the quagmire into which delayed her old life. He hastened to apologize Juliette. However, the apartment was empty, he found a small, full of bitter note - Juliette fled from Paris, leaving no address. A few days later Victor found out that she was staying with relatives in Normandy. For three days he was getting a coach to Brest. There he met Juliette, who in six days, too, realized that he could not live without Victor. They rushed into the arms of each other.

Great feeling, as if by magic, like a fairy tale, as in the plays of Victor Hugo himself, turned Juliette guilty to one of the most exalted souls of France. Moreover, as it were, embodied the very soul of France, always in love, despite fierce disagreements, in his brilliant Victor Hugo.

But this love was not idyllic, wild passion impelled them to sharp, rough strife. By Juliette despair, Victor did not entertain the idea of ??divorce and new marriage, he madly in love with their babies, care about that they grew up happily in his own family, did not leave him ever.

Soon after their romance began all over Paris. Friends rushed to admonish Victor, trying to "save" him from the fatal beauty. But he answered them with disarming candor: "Right, I was much better than in the days of my innocence, which you regret. Before, I was blameless, but now I'm forgiving people. This is great progress, I swear . . . "

Unsubscribe from Juliette, he could not. She had such a nice wit, such an easy character, in her presence the venerable writer merry as a schoolboy. Besides it, in contrast to Adele, indifferent to his poetry, was always reverent admirer of his literary creativity.

For the sake of Hugo Drouet had left the scene and had lived in seclusion, doing correspondence manuscripts of the poet. The refuge she left for the joint summer travels - in Brittany (1834), Picardy and Normandy (1835), Brittany and Normandy (1836), Belgium (1837), Champagne (1838), on the banks of the Rhine, the Rhone and in Switzerland (1839 -1840), in the Pyrenees and Spain (1843). These trips broaden my horizons Hugo, enriched it with new impressions. Hugo has made numerous sketches (he was a superb draftsman), landscapes, monuments and antiquities. Letters to his wife and friends showed more in-depth, philosophical view of the world, which soon became apparent in his work. Creative Products Hugo 1830 very abundant.

Drouet not only inspired his talent, but also devoted some of Hugo mysteries of love, and the writer could proudly say of themselves: "Women think I'm just irresistible. " So it seems, and it was. Hugo began as glorified extremely active sex life. For him it was not unusual, for example, that he could have sex with a young prostitute in the early morning, with some actress before lunch and the famous courtesan in the evening. But it was only a prelude to the fact that the entire night was dedicated then as a tireless Juliette.

Photo — «Victor-marie Hugo»

Hugo continued to have sex almost to the last days of life.

Juliette, the greatest love of his life, patiently endured sexual activity Hugo. When she was 40 years old, her beauty began to fade. In 1844, she was temporarily replaced by a young noblewoman Dr. Leonie? Onex. Relationship with Leonie Hugo ended a terrible scandal, when a jealous husband hired a police Leoni, so they followed his wife. Leonie and Hugo were caught in flagrante delicto. Hugo escaped punishment, as belonged to the peerage, but Leoni was put into prison for adultery.

After Leoni was again at liberty, Hugo began to divide his time equally between her and Juliette. In the end, Hugo left Leoni, and Juliette again became his main love. This, of course, nor in any way interfere with Hugo sought and found other mistresses. Juliette itself has estimated that from 1848 to 1850 in Hugo was at least 200 sexual partners. In the 70-year-old Hugo was able to lure a 22-year-old daughter of the writer Theophile Gautier, and it is possible that this time he had a secret relationship with Sarah Bernhardt.

Despite the numerous love affairs, he always called his Juliette "true wife. " Their sexual relationship lasted 50 years. Most of this time they have lived separately from each other. If it were possible, Hugo came to her every day. Juliette was absolutely loyal to him. For all the time they met, she wrote him love letters in 1700. She died at the hands of Hugo in 77 years of age. During the remaining two years of his life Hugo continued, as the reader knows, sexually active, but his spirit seems to have been broken by the loss of yet Juliette.

Hugo surrounded their meeting a secret. He loved, for example, to the house of his mistresses after some secret passages and indulge in love with them in some remote deserted rooms, even when there was no absolutely no need.

His young grandson, who once walked into the room and saw his 80-year old grandfather hugging a young maid, Hugo said, "Look, George, they do not call me a genius for nothing!"

Juliette Drouet, a loyal friend and Hugo to a ripe old age retained the old custom on every occasion to write to each other. January 1, 1883 in the New Year wish of Juliette wrote to him: "Adored my I do not know where I'll be on this date next year, but I'm happy and proud to sign your certificate for my life right now that's only these words: I love you. " This was her last New Year's greetings. May 11, 1883 she died. Hugo was crushed with grief, not crying, but I could not even attend the funeral. From now on, he became indifferent to everything, from Juliette spent all of his past, his whole life.

In the summer of 1884 he made his last journey - to Switzerland. In the notebook, along with illegible sketches poems started and unfinished poems, there was a record: "Soon I will not obscure the horizon. " He made a will in which included the famous words: "I refuse to preach all the churches, I ask prayers for all souls. I believe in God. "

May 15, 1885 Hugo, suffered a heart attack, again fell ill. Nothing could save him, and May 22, the day named Juliette Drouet, died with the words: "I see . . . dark light. " Was four years before the Great Revolution of the century, the construction of the Eiffel Tower became the symbol of Paris, in modern times . . .

The day after the death of Hugo's government decided on the national funeral. June 1, 1885 held a grand ceremony on the night before the funeral, more than 200 thousand Parisians were in front of the hearse, standing under the Arc de Triomphe, from which hung a huge crepe veil. Day two million people lined the route of the hearse with Etoile in the Pantheon. According to present at the funeral of Maurice Barres, and buried, "the poet-prophet of the old man, who made his utopias heart to flutter. "